e-4056 (Human diseases)

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of continued efforts to support Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research. The federal government has remained engaged with partners and the research community in making incremental discoveries to pave the way for better outcomes for Canadians. Although our understanding of MS continues to improve, significant work remains to be done to generate evidence to inform prevention and therapeutics strategies for MS.

This is why the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), has invested approximately $45.7 million over the last five years in MS research at universities and other health research institutes across Canada.

Last year alone, CIHR funded $12.4 million for MS research representing its largest one-year investment in MS to date. This includes investment in studies to better understand the causes of MS, the development of new therapeutic solutions, and interventions to support the well-being and quality of life of Canadians living with MS.

Most of CIHR’s funding for MS research is awarded through its investigator-initiated (i.e., “open”) research funding programs which supports research projects proposed and conducted by individual researchers — specifically, the bi-annual Project Grant competitions. These open grant competitions contribute to new, incremental, and innovative lines of inquiry, including those building on the recent developments demonstrating links between the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and the onset of MS.

One example of research proposed and conducted by the research community, is that of Dr. Lori Frappier from the University of Toronto who in 2022 received a grant of $933,300 over five years to pursue research into newly discovered cellular pathways and proteins that are manipulated by the EBV. Dr. Frappier hopes that this study will enable new approaches to inhibit EBV infection, thereby limiting the development of EBV-associated MS and other conditions.

CIHR has also invested in two grants totaling over $2 million, to Dr. Marc Horwitz from the University of British Columbia, to support studies on the role and mechanisms of EBV infection in relation to MS and other autoimmune diseases in 2020 and 2021.

In addition, the Government of Canada is proud of its long-standing history of partnership with MS Canada, a steadfast champion for Canadians living with MS and their families. Over the span of 14 years of partnership with CIHR, the Government of Canada and MS Canada have worked closely to support high-impact research and encourage collaboration between researchers and academic and health institutions to best leverage our resources to advance treatment and care, enhance well-being, prevent the disease, and slow its progression.

CIHR and MS Canada are currently co-funding a trial on cannabis as an adjunct in the treatment of MS, representing matching commitments of $750,000 over five years (2020-24). This trial will help determine the effects of cannabis on the wide-reaching nature of symptoms faced by MS patients which can include leg weakness, neuropathic pain, fatigue, sleep disruptions and mood impairment among many others.

In addition, MS Canada is a funding partner of the Chronic Pain Network housed at McMaster University as part of CIHR’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, to support high-impact research in chronic pain management for Canadians living with MS.

These are only a few examples of collaboration and research projects funded by CIHR to identify and advance innovative solutions to support Canadians living with MS. Additional information on these and other CIHR-funded MS research projects is available through the CIHR funding databases.

Researchers seeking funding for MS research studies are encouraged to explore an application through CIHR’s bi-annual Project Grant competitions, which support investigator-initiated (i.e., “open”) research across all areas of health, including MS. CIHR also regularly launches priority-driven funding opportunities to support research in areas of strategic importance, such as the aforementioned cannabis research grants.

Researchers can subscribe to CIHR’s Access Newsletter to remain current on new funding opportunity launches and are invited to consult CIHR’s funding opportunities database and/or contact CIHR for inquiries relating to funding opportunity objectives, eligibility criteria and application procedures.  

The Government of Canada through CIHR remains firmly committed to continue working with the research community and partners, such as MS Canada, to support the next wave of novel ideas with the potential of improving the lives of Canadians living with multiple sclerosis.