We did it! How your support helped raise £101.9m and transformed the future of MS research

We launched the Stop MS Appeal back in 2015. We set ourselves the ambitious target to have treatments for all types of MS in late stages of testing by 2025. And we did it!

Today MS research looks very different. And that's thanks to everything the MS community has done - from fundraising and campaigning, to cheering us on every step of the way.

Find out more about the impact of our Stop MS Appeal

What this milestone means for research

Thanks to the Stop MS Appeal we’ve been able to build an entirely new clinical trials network for progressive MS. Something that simply didn’t exist before.

As a result of the funding, the most promising lab discoveries are being transformed into world-leading trials of potential neuroprotective drugs. More than 4000 people were finally given the chance to take part. And these results are sparking hope of game-changing treatments, not just for MS, but across neurodegenerative diseases.

Jeremy Chataway, Professor of Neurology at University College London and the National Hospital Queen Square, says:

To come from zero to where we are now is remarkable. We’ve brought to life a trials network that never existed. It’s put the UK on the map.

Giving hope to people living with progressive MS

One of the people who has felt the impact personally is Jacqueline Krarup, who lives with secondary progressive MS. When she was diagnosed in 2008, she had only one treatment option. When it didn’t work, she had nowhere else to turn.

Through the Stop MS Appeal, Jacqueline has been able to take part in two clinical trials.

Jacqueline says:

Both trials have meant so much to me because I felt like I was doing something. And I have that sneaky hope that the trial might help.

Jacqueline’s sister also lives with progressive MS, making every bit of progress even more meaningful for their family.

Jacqueline adds:

If we can stop things getting to the level Yolanda and I are at, that would be the icing on the cake. And if not for our generation, then for our children’s.

Stories like Jacqueline’s are exactly why this appeal matters.

Breakthroughs are now within touching distance

Our revolutionary trial Octopus is now testing potential treatments up to three times faster than traditional methods, speeding up future breakthroughs.

We also have treatments for every type of MS in late-stage testing. And researchers have shown that myelin repair, once thought impossible, may be within reach.

Dr Emma Gray, our Director of Research, says:

We believe we’re in touching distance of treatments that can slow or stop progression for everyone with MS.

Thank you for being part of this journey

You’ve helped make history. Whether you’ve donated, shared your story, attended an event, supported a colleague, cheered from the sidelines or helped spread the word.

Mark Wood CBE, Chair of the Stop MS Appeal Board, says:

None of this progress would be possible without the MS community.

The Stop MS Appeal has already changed what’s possible in MS research and will continue shaping it for years to come.

Find out more about the impact of our Stop MS Appeal