Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 33,000 Australians — and Australia has one of the highest MS rates in the world. A disease that typically strikes people in their 20s and 30s, MS can cause progressive disability including mobility impairment, fatigue, cognitive changes, vision loss, and pain. The treatment landscape has been transformed by disease-modifying therapies in recent decades, but MS is not yet curable. Grant funding supports research, patient support, employment, and the community services that help people with MS live full lives.
Scale
The MS spectrum
Impact
MS profoundly affects quality of life:
- Mobility and walking (many with MS eventually use wheelchairs or mobility aids)
- Fatigue (most common and disabling symptom — invisible)
- Cognitive changes ("cog fog" — memory, concentration)
- Pain and sensory disturbances
- Vision (optic neuritis)
- Bladder and bowel function
- Depression and anxiety (higher rates than general population)
- Employment impacts (many with MS leave workforce before retirement age)
NHMRC
Research grants for MS neurobiology, treatment, and rehabilitation.
PBS
Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are PBS-listed — Australia has reasonable access compared to many countries:
- Interferons (Avonex, Betaferon, Rebif)
- Glatiramer acetate
- Natalizumab (Tysabri)
- Fingolimod (Gilenya)
- Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) — for PPMS as well as RRMS
- Siponimod, cladribine, alemtuzumab, and others
NDIS
Some people with MS access NDIS support — particularly for mobility aids, personal care, and home modifications.
MS Plus (formerly Multiple Sclerosis Limited)
Largest MS support and services organisation:
- MS Support Line
- MS community programs (including MS Plus programs in NSW/ACT)
- Research funding
MS Queensland
State-based MS support and services.
MS Society of Tasmania
MS WA
MS Australia
National advocacy and research funding body:
- Research grants (MS Research Australia grants programme)
- Clinical trial support
- Advocacy for PBS listing of new DMTs
- International MS research collaboration
MS Research Australia
Research grants programme — funding basic and clinical MS research.
Trish MS Research Foundation
Melbourne-based MS research philanthropic funder.
Research
Clinical trials
Australia has strong clinical trials activity in MS:
- AFFIRM, MAGNIMS, and other global MS trials
- AHSCT (haematopoietic stem cell transplantation) trials
- Neuroprotection trials
- Progressive MS trials
Patient support and community services
Employment support
MS most commonly strikes people in early career — employment support is critical:
- Workplace adjustment support
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Return to work planning
- Self-employment support
- Employment advocacy
AHSCT (Stem cell transplantation)
High-intensity AHSCT is increasingly used for aggressive RRMS — a treatment that resets the immune system. Australia has pioneer researchers in this area:
- AHSCT access and equity
- Post-AHSCT support
- Research on outcomes
Progressive MS
People with progressive MS are underserved:
- Rehabilitation and maintenance of function
- Fatigue management
- Cognitive rehabilitation
- Palliative and end-of-life care
- Equipment and home modification
Mental health and MS
Depression and anxiety are significantly more common in people with MS:
- Mental health support integration in MS care
- Peer support
- Psychosocial support
- Suicide prevention (elevated risk in MS)
Evidence is growing for lifestyle factors in MS management:
- Exercise and physical activity (strong evidence for benefit)
- Diet (Mediterranean diet, Overcoming MS programme)
- Vitamin D
- Stress management
- Sleep
Programmes supporting healthy lifestyle in MS are increasingly funded.
Progressive MS gap
PPMS and SPMS are underserved — fewer treatment options, less research, more limited service focus. Applications targeting progressive MS patients have a strong equity argument.
Fatigue
MS fatigue is invisible, common, and profoundly disabling — yet poorly understood and undertreated. Research and service programmes targeting MS fatigue are high priority.
Employment
Many people with MS leave the workforce prematurely. Employment support programmes that extend working life are valuable both for individuals and economically.
AHSCT
Australia is a leader in AHSCT for MS — philanthropic support for this research has global impact.
Tahua's grants management platform supports neurological disease funders and MS organisations — with research grant tracking, patient support programme management, clinical trial data, and the reporting tools that help MS funders demonstrate their investment in better outcomes for people living with multiple sclerosis.