About FutureMS
We will use clinical examinations, MRI brain imaging and genetics to try to predict how severe your MS will be.
We want to remove the uncertainty that a diagnosis of MS can bring.
Scotland has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world. An estimated 10,000 people in this country have this disabling condition.
When people are newly diagnosed with MS, they do not know what the future will hold. Most people experience occasional bouts of symptoms called 'relapses', but doctors cannot predict how often, and how severe, these relapses will be. This can make it difficult for people to make decisions about their lifestyle, work and family.
People with MS need a tool to predict - as early as possible - how severe their MS is likely to be.
There are 11 licensed drugs to reduce the relapse rate in MS. Choosing the right one for the right person at the right time can be challenging. Doctors need a tool to help them make an informed choice.
Doctors and scientists at the University of Edinburgh Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, with Stratified Medicine Scotland, are leading the FutureMS research study to try to predict disease severity in people with MS. We aim to help doctors prescribe the right medication at the right time for the right person. This is sometimes called ‘personalised medicine’.
We are recruiting people recently diagnosed with relapsing-onset MS who might like to take part in FutureMS. If you agree to participate, we will use clinical examinations, MRI brain imaging and genetics to try to predict the severity of your MS.
FutureMS might help doctors decide the most appropriate treatment for people with MS. It might help to remove the uncertainty that a diagnosis of MS can bring.
Would you consider taking part in this important research project?
Am I eligible?
(1) You must be at least 18 years of age, living in Scotland, and have been diagnosed with relapsing-onset MS within the last six months.
(2) You must not be on any disease-modifying therapy, or taking part in any other clinical trial.
(3) You must be able to travel to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness for two visits 12 months apart (reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed).
(4) You must be willing to undergo two clinical examinations, two MRI brain scans, and give a blood sample.
Download more information
Read more about your futureMS Journey.
If you have been newly diagnosed with MS, a member of your team will talk to you about the FutureMS research project. If you'd like to hear more, you'll give permission for the research team to contact you. Alternatively you might have found out about FutureMS directly via our website or social media - if you are interested then please get in touch.
If you are eligible for our study, the research team will get in touch with you to make an appointment. This could be in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee or Aberdeen.
At the appointment, a doctor will discuss the project with you and answer your questions. If you'd like to go ahead, you'll sign a consent form.
You'll then complete a health and lifestyle questionnaire on an iPad.
You'll be seen by a doctor and/or a nurse for a clinical examination and to give a blood sample.
You will also have an MRI brain scan. This will take about 30 minutes. It might happen at the same appointment or it might be arranged for another time.
Up to a year later, the research team will get in touch again to arrange a second appointment.
You'll have another MRI brain scan.
You'll also have another clinical examination, but you won't be asked to give another blood sample. The second brain scan and clinical examination will complete your participation in FutureMS.
Meet The Team
Siddharthan Chandran
Shuna Colville
Peter Connick
Margaret Ann McLeod
Jonathan O’Riordan
James Overell
