Who We Are

Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia (MSRA) aims to substantially accelerate progress towards finding a cause, and cure for MS. We will achieve this by focusing on:

  • Australia’s research strengths, contributing to the world-wide effort to solve MS

  • Collaborative national research platforms

  • Best-practice international scientific governance

MSRA has a strong governance structure designed to minimise conflicts of interest and ensure that the Australian MS research we fund plays to Australia's research strengths and resources. Read more about our Governance here

View MSRA's Executive Director, Jeremy Wright discuss the foundations of MSRA, raising awareness, and the approach to realising MSRA's aims.

How We Work

MSRA has two operational strategies to coordinate the Australian MS research effort and build a funding base:

Click to Enlarge - How We Work - Diagram

1. Our Research Strategy aims to accelerate research activity in areas where Australian scientists can have the greatest impact in worldwide MS research. We work in close partnership with and encourage collaboration between a number of Australia’s top (university-based) medical research centres. The research is focused on three main areas; to better diagnose and treat MS, to predict and prevent MS and to propagate cell repair and regeneration.

MSRA is both proactive, in generating directed research (in the form of ‘platforms’ such as the MSRA Brain Bank and Gene Bank) and reactive, in responding to Investigator-driven research applications. We also work with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, the Government’s medical research funding agency) to facilitate the further development of MS research.

2. In our Fundraising, we appeal to a wide range of individuals and groups and often link potential donors and sponsors with specific research projects. In this way, we aim to support a portfolio of projects that reflect our research strategy – all of which have sufficient scientific merit to warrant funding. We approach trusts and foundations, business and community leaders, community groups and People with MS and look for opportunities to leverage government and other funding bodies, to match private support where possible.

Together with a robust governance structure, MSRA believes this approach will result in further significant breakthroughs in the knowledge and effective treatment of MS, and major steps toward understanding the cause and developing the cure.