Information

Goals and Mission
The North American Research Committee On Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Project was initiated in 1993 by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. The project is led by Dr. Tim Vollmer, an international leader in multiple sclerosis care, immunology, and MS research. The project is based at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. NARCOMS has developed an MS Patient Registry that is the largest of its kind in the world. The primary purpose of the NARCOMS project is to facilitate multi-center research in the broad field of Multiple Sclerosis. Collaboration between centers of excellence in Multiple Sclerosis is essential for rapid progress in the development of better treatments for MS and for greater understanding of the disease.

Project Status and Initiatives As of April 2008, the number of Registry participants has reached 33,000 and new participants are joining every day. Convenient online enrollment for anybody diagnosed with MS is available at this website(Enroll online)

Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis who enroll in the NARCOMS Registry receive the printed version of the Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report (MSQR) four times a year. This journal is free of charge and includes original review articles, NARCOMS news, breaking news, as well as listings of clinical trials in progress and open for enrollment.

We hope that the MSQR will keep you abreast of recent findings and studies of interest. Samples of past issues of the MSQR are available electronically.

We encourage medical professionals in the field of Multiple Sclerosis to become involved in developing materials for the MSQR. Please contact NARCOMS if you are interested in authoring a review paper.

The Cooperative Studies Program is still in the planning stages, but ultimately hopes to bring a large network of researchers, physicians, and health care professionals at public and private institutions together as a group. These institutions will work toward the common goal of controlling and effectively treating Multiple Sclerosis.

ICODIMS, the International Committee on Databases in Multiple Sclerosis, was founded in 2000 in order to create a collaborative milieu for databases and registries worldwide. Currently there are 12 countries participating in the ICODIMS project, with representatives from Australia, throughout Europe, Latin America, and North America. These representatives have met to establish the basic criteria needed for an international cross talk: what data should be collected to assure compatibility among the various cultures. ICODIMS hopes to use the results of this work to compare and evaluate MS patients from different environments, compare their characteristics treatments and outcomes and to establish standard terminologies.

Support/Funding
NARCOMS is a project of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and is supported by grants and in-kind services from United Spinal Association, Paralyzed Veterans Association (PVA), and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Additional support has been provided by unrestricted grants from the following pharmaceutical companies: Berlex, Biogen, Immunex, Serono, and Teva Neuroscience.