Commentary on the proposed Alfred Hospital CCSVI Procedure Trial

With the interests of people with MS uppermost in mind, MS Research Australia (MSRA) strives to fund the highest quality research in areas where Australia has an edge in both the resources and expertise available. MSRA also encourages scientists and clinicians with appropriate levels of expertise, to facilitate this MS research. We only consider applications that can produce accurate and reproducible results and that keep in mind the safety and benefits that can be expected for people with MS.

A research proposal to study the efficacy of balloon angioplasty for CCSVI as a proposed method for treating MS was received from the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, and was reviewed by MSRA's Research Management Committee and international peer-review panel in November 2010.

The peer-review panel is made up of international experts from a breadth of fields of MS research. These experts review each research proposal on its merit, taking into account scientific background and evidence to support the study, design of the study, expertise of the chief investigators, ethical approval for the study, and realistic budgets for the research.

The proposal from the Alfred hospital was considered, but further detail and clarification of some aspects of study design were requested. The applicants were invited to resubmit the proposal to MSRA with these changes.

It is our understanding that the researchers and the Hospital are in the process of reviewing their research proposal which includes obtaining the necessary approval from the Hospital's Human Research Ethics Committee.

Until such time as MSRA receives an amended proposal with ethics approval from the researchers at the Alfred Hospital, MSRA is not in a position to influence the commencement of this trial. Any new proposal received will be considered by the international peer-review panel in the light of the international evidence available relating to the connection between CCSVI and MS.

In this and all areas of research, MSRA is highly dependent on the clinicians and scientists to bring together research teams and design high quality experiments and trials. We can encourage research proposals, but we cannot work outside of the regulations and processes that govern the activities of researchers within their own institutions.

For a statement regarding the recently announced Canadian CCSVI treatment trials please click here.

Posted July 2011