Research opportunity and event information may be provided on behalf of an external organization. Please refer to the contact information within each listing to identify the contact for questions or comments.
LISTEN IN! A New Podcast Episode – Patient Advocacy Voices
Our own Sara Loud was a guest on the latest episode of Sanofi’s podcast, Patient Advocacy Voices! Sara joined cohosts Eric Racine and Vicky DiBiaso to discuss our shared mission of patient-informed and people-powered research, and our collaboration with the Patient Advocacy Leaders and Drug Development Industry Network (Paladin) to create meaningful change for patients.
Listen to the episode here! How to Transform the Pace of Medicine Through Industry Partnerships
Clinical Trial of a Potential Myelin Repair Therapy Seeking Participants with MS
Contineum Therapeutics is looking for people diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS to participate in a clinical trial. The trial will evaluate the safety and potential effectiveness of the experimental drug PIPE-307, which may promote the repair of myelin. (Myelin is the insulation of nerve fibers that is damaged in MS.) Trial participants will be able to keep taking their existing MS disease-modifying therapy.
Please read the details below, and visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06083753 to learn more if you are interested in participating.
What is the purpose of the study? PIPE-307 is a molecule that inhibits the muscarinic type 1 (M1) receptor. The M1 receptor is a molecule in the brain that prevents the development of cells that make myelin. M1 also prevents the formation of myelin itself. This study will test whether adding PIPE-307 to approved disease-modifying therapies is safe and potentially effective. Vision tests, disability measurements, and MRI scans will help determine whether the drug may be effective in treating MS.
What does the study involve? Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of two doses of PIPE-307 or inactive placebo, once daily by mouth, for 26 weeks. Participants may remain on their existing disease modifying therapy.
The study will include routine blood draws, neurological tests, and MRI scans. Participants can optionally agree to wear a remote sensor on the ankles to assess walking for short intervals during the study. People will undergo a series of screening assessments to determine eligibility, and then return to the site for follow-up testing at multiple times during the treatment period.
Participants will be reimbursed for travel expenses.
Who can participate? The study is enrolling people who:
- Have been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS)
- Have received their MS diagnosis within the past 10 years
- Are at least 18 years old and no more than 50 years old
- Have been on their existing MS disease-modifying therapy for at least 6 months – or have not received an MS disease-modifying therapy in the past 6 months
To learn more about this study, please visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06083753. The clinical sites taking part are listed in the Contacts and Locations section. Contact a clinic near you if you have any questions about this study or if you would like to learn if you are eligible to participate.
FUSION – A Clinical Study for Patients with Relapsing MS
This message is intended for residents of the United States.
If you have a relapsing form of Multiple Sclerosis, or know someone who does, please read on. A clinical study called FUSION is now enrolling patients at study clinics across the US. The sponsor of this study is Biogen.
The purpose of FUSION is to assess the safety and effectiveness of an investigational drug which is not yet approved for use in MS. This drug, called BIIB091, inhibits an enzyme called “Bruton’s tyrosine kinase.” This reduces the activation of B cells, which are immune cells that contribute to damage to the brain and spinal cord in MS.
FUSION consists of two parts and is currently looking for people to join Part 1. Part 1 will assess the safety and effectiveness of BIIB091 compared with another drug already approved for MS.
Part 2 will assess the safety and effectiveness of BIIB091 when taken together with another approved drug for MS. The potential for combination therapy in treating MS would be a novel approach.
Participation in Part 1 of the study will last for approximately 54 weeks (around 1 year). During this time, participants will be randomly assigned to receive either BIIB091 or the approved drug for MS. Both drugs are pills that are taken daily. Participants will not be told which treatment they are receiving.
Because safety is the top priority, participants will need to come to the study clinic approximately 20 times so that their health can be monitored. Reimbursement for travel may be available.
The study is looking for individuals who:
- Are age 18-55
- Have a diagnosis of a relapsing form of MS (relapsing-remitting MS or active secondary progressive MS)
- Have a baseline EDSS score of 0 to 5.0 (able to walk without aid for approximately 200 yards)
- Have evidence of disease activity, as shown by an MRI scan in the last 6 to 12 months, and/or clinical relapse(s) in the last 24 months
There are other eligibility criteria as well, which your local site can tell you about.
How can I learn more?
If you’re interested in learning more about the FUSION study and finding a site near you, please visit this site.
A new MS clinical trial is now enrolling participants
Our research partners at Eli Lilly are looking for people with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS) to participate in a research study.
What is the purpose of the study?
Eli Lilly is developing a new experimental therapy for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) called LY3541860. This drug works to reduce the activity of B cells in the body. (B cells are a type of an immune cell.)
The Eli Lilly team is conducting this study to determine whether LY3541860 can reduce the number of new brain lesions in people with RMS compared to placebo (a non-active substance). The study will also assess how safe LY3541860 is and help to determine the best dose to use in future trials.
What does the study involve?
Participation in the study will last for a little over a year and involve 13 onsite study visits. These onsite visits will typically include: physical exams, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), blood tests, urine tests, and electrocardiograms (a test to monitor heart activity), among other activities.
This study includes a treatment period lasting 36 weeks.
- Participants will either receive 800 milligrams (mg) of LY3541860 every 4 weeks during this time, or
- Participants will receive a placebo for 12 weeks followed by receiving 200 mg of LY3541860 every 4 weeks for the remaining 24 weeks.
- After the treatment period, there is a 24-week follow-up period in which no treatment will be given.
Both LY3541860 and the placebo are infused, meaning they are delivered through a tube into a vein in the arm.
Participants will receive compensation for attending study visits. The exact amount will be determined by the study site. Participants will also be reimbursed for their transportation and/or lodging costs.
Who can participate?
You may be eligible for this study if:
- You are 18 to 55 years of age
- You have a relapsing form of MS
- You have had:
- at least 1 documented relapse within the previous year, or
- at least 2 documented relapses within the previous 2 years, or
- at least 1 active brain lesion on an MRI scan in the past 180 days prior to screening
- You have never been treated with medicines that deplete the immune system or B cells, such as ocrelizumab, alemtuzumab, or rituximab
How can I learn more?
To learn more about this study, please visit either trials.lilly.com or https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06220669. The clinical sites taking part are listed in the Contacts and Locations section. Contact a clinic near you if you have any questions about this study or if you would like to learn if you are eligible to participate.
Participants will be offered a $50 Amazon gift card for completing the interviews.
A graduate student at A.T. Still University College of Graduate Health Sciences is conducting a study focused on a critical gap in scientific literature specific to the decision-making process of patients with multiple sclerosis about participating in a clinical trial.
This research study seeks to answer three questions:
- What is the decision-making of people living with multiple sclerosis about participating in clinical trials?
- What is the knowledge of people living with multiple sclerosis about clinical trials and how to participate?
- What are the barriers and facilitators to the decision-making process of people living with multiple sclerosis about participating in clinical trials?
If you are living with multiple sclerosis, you are invited to participate in this research study. Participation will require a single interview that will take about an hour to complete. The participant must be at least 18 years of age, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and able to provide verbal consent. Participation is voluntary, and a small compensation will be provided to recognize the value of your time.
The risk to participants is minimal as the interviews are confidential. No personally identifiable information will be disclosed through this research.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please email me sa205371@atsu.edu. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the research study.
Study participants recently spoke about their experiences taking part in the TEAAMS study on Brain Chat with the Nerdy Neurologist and RealTalk MS. Tune in and listen today!
A new topic for the Our Questions Have Power program!
When it comes to MS symptoms and how to manage them, what questions are most important to you? What symptom-related topics do you wish researchers were studying? Your questions are valuable and we invite you to share them through the Our Questions Have Power program on the iConquerMS website.
The Our Questions Have Power program was launched in March 2021 with an initial focus on COVID-19. Questions submitted by iConquerMS members have helped shape the COVER-MS vaccination study and are being shared with the research community to guide other efforts.
We’re now extending Our Questions Have Power to include a second topic: MS symptoms and their management and treatment. As before, you’re invited to share questions on this topic that you think should be studied and to vote on questions submitted by other iConquerMS members. We’ll share these questions with people affected by MS, researchers, healthcare professionals, advocates, and funders – and, together, we’ll work to launch research studies to answer those questions.
It’s easy to share your ideas and input in Our Questions Have Power!
