The partnership will accelerate research, advocacy, and education around neuroinflammatory diseases
The Brain Inflammation Collaborative (BIC) announced a new partnership with Solving MS, a patient-led nonprofit advancing curative and restorative therapies for Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The partnership will see the organisations combining their expertise, resources, and insights to accelerate research, advocacy, and education around neuroinflammatory diseases.
Solving MS provides a unique perspective to BIC by bringing the lived experiences of people living with MS who are pushing research forward themselves. Through their collaboration, BIC and Solving MS will fortify efforts to tackle brain inflammation across MS and more than 30 related conditions, including Long COVID, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjögren’s, and others.
Tom Harrison of Solving MS said, “We’re thrilled to partner with BIC and collaborate with like-minded scientists, clinicians, and advocates. Together, we can accelerate the path to effective therapies, not just for MS, but for all infection-associated chronic conditions.”
The partnership's aims:
- Advance comparative studies across autoimmune diseases and infection-associated chronic conditions (IACCs) to accelerate the discovery of effective treatments.
- Support AI-driven drug discovery and other clinical studies aimed at treating brain inflammation and infection-associated chronic diseases.
- Spotlight patient voices in research design, emphasising Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) on symptoms and treatment results.
- Deliver accessible, evidence-based research and clinical trial information in accessible formats for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers.
Christy Jagdfeld, CEO of the Brain Inflammation Collaborative, said: “We cannot continue to study one diagnosis at a time, one drug at a time. Partnership with Solving MS allows us to pursue better diagnosis and treatment of brain inflammation, starting with more data. We are building a comprehensive, longitudinal digital health platform, driven by and for patients and researchers.”
Solving MS first became involved in IACC advocacy after witnessing how Long COVID compounded disability in its community.
Megan Fitzgerald, principal investigator at the Brain Inflammation Collaborative, said: “The longitudinal research that BIC conducts is essential to understanding the long-term impacts of Long COVID. To advance this work, we must collaborate with Solving MS, which has forged strong connections with both patients and researchers. Their insights are vital to shaping research that reflects real-world experiences.”
