Multiple Sclerosis Research In 2026

2026 is upon us!  As fireworks ring out around the world to usher in the new year, we like to look ahead and think about what new developments we might see in multiple sclerosis research over the coming 12 months.

With that in mind, here are five areas that we will be following closely this year:

1. Approval of New Therapies 

   There have recently been three successful Phase 3 clinical trials that have involved the use of a BTKi:  tolebrutinib for non-relapsing secondary progressive MS and fenebrutinib for both relapsing-remitting MS and primary progressive MS.  As there is a great unmet need for effective therapies in people living with progressive MS in particular, we wait the regulatory reviews of these therapies with great anticipation.

2. Remyelination trialsLast year brought mixed results for clinical trials looking to develop myelin repair therapies. The CCMR 2 trial (from the Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair and the Cambridge Clinical MS Research Group) showed that a combination of metformin and clemastine could promote remyelination, although the effect seen was small.  However, PIPE-307 – another promising myelin repair therapy – failed in a clinical trial and will no longer be pursued.

   With better understanding of how to conduct these trials and what might be needed, it will be interesting to see what trials are announced over the coming year.  Will we see longer trials conducted of therapies that have already been tested or are new and exciting compounds going to be investigated?  Time will tell, but we will be following this area very closely!

3. New (and old) treatment approachesCAR T-cell therapy has been a hot topic in MS research recently. The first clinical trials have started and initial results may be released this year.  It will be important to see how effective the approach is in stopping disease activity, as well as whether there are any safety concerns.

   Similarly, it will be an interesting year for HSCT.  While this treatment is not new, it is now becoming more widely available outside of clinical trials.  As more data gets published on the effectiveness in real-world populations, it will be interesting to see how this starts to be implemented in the overall treatment of people living with MS.  Will this start to be offered as a more routine option or will it be used as a last resort for those that have failed other treatments?

4. Digital health and wearable technologiesTechnology is a major part of our lives, but how can it be harnessed to improve the lives of people living with MS? It is a topic of frequent conversation, but questions around what technology to use and how it should be implemented are still largely unanswered.  As devices and applications continue to advance rapidly, we are hopeful that progress will be made in this area in 2026.
5. Biomarkers and personalised medicineThis is another area that has been heavily discussed and is slowly starting to be used in clinical practice. As you will see in our Facebook post tomorrow (6^th January), research is starting to understand the best biomarkers to measure and how they can be used to better predict outcomes for people living with MS and have them guide treatment decisions.

What research topics are you most interested in seeing progress in 2026?  Why not share them with us under this article or on any of our social media channels.

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