Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Accelerated Cure Project repository different from other repositories?

While other sample repositories do exist, few are specific to MS. Few have a large number of samples. Many do not have sufficient medical records to back up the diagnosis of the condition being studied. Rarely is any significant epidemiological data available on the donors. Many are established for a single purpose and are not useful to people in another discipline (e.g., samples are collected for genetics, but are not useful for other purposes). Not all repositories are shared outside of the labs that created them. Most repositories collect samples from each subject once. Our repository has been designed to address each of these issues. We are also collecting samples from people with other demyelinating diseases such as TM, NMO, ADEM, and ON.

In addition, a unique feature of our repository is that the data derived from studying the samples is returned to the database and shared with future researchers using the samples, thus increasing the value of the collection with each study performed, and allowing us to find connections that exist across experiments. With most other repositories, results obtained from use of the samples remain in isolated data sets which are never combined.

We invite you to read more about why the repository is needed.

Are you working with the National MS Society? While we do not have a formal relationship with the NMSS, we are regularly in touch with the New England Chapter and the national leadership, keeping them informed of what we are doing and looking for ways we can help each other. We are otherwise completely distinct entities.

Will brain tissue and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) be collected?

Yes. We began with the collection of blood because it is readily available. We intend to add CSF and brain and spinal tissue in the future.

How is Accelerated Cure Project and the repository funded?

Accelerated Cure Project and the repository are funded primarily by individual donors, particularly those personally affected by MS. A portion of our funding also comes from corporate sponsors and private foundations.

Gifts are solicited and raised through annual written appeals, company and volunteer-driven fundraising events (such as our annual scavenger hunt), foundation grant requests, and personal interactions with donors.

As a small but rapidly growing "start-up" nonprofit, Accelerated Cure Project has earned recognition as a significant player in the MS community for our innovative, problem-solving approach to curing MS and for uniting MS research institutions to work on the problem collaboratively. Our donors appreciate this approach and the focused nature of our efforts.

If you support the goals of this project, we encourage you to make a gift in support of the repository.

What are the costs/finances of the repository?

The initial phase of the repository (collection from the first 1,000 of 10,000 subjects) will take approximately 18 months and will cost $2.5 million. The major line items are site-related collection costs, storage costs, and costs associated with management of a multi-center human study.

For more information on the costs involved in establishing our repository, download an overview of our repository budget.

How many people have enrolled in the repository already?

You can see our current enrollment status here.

What types of studies has your repository supported to date?

You can read about the studies that have used samples and data from our repository here.

Is there a collection site near me?

Our currently enrolling sites are located at:

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
• UMass Memorial, Worcester, MA
• MS Research Center of New York, New York, NY
• Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD
• Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA
• Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• University of Colorado/Rocky Mountain MS Center, Aurora, CO
• UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX
• Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ

If you are located near a site, please contact the site's study coordinator to discuss enrollment in the study. More information on the sites is available here.

If you are not located near a site, please contact our repository director or sign up for our mailing list to be notified when a new site opens.

I am not located near a collection site. What are my options for enrolling in the repository?

Currently, we are limited to enrolling subjects at our collection sites. We continue to work towards opening new sites as funding allows. We are also working to add remote collection capabilities. Please contact our repository director or sign up for our mailing list to be notified when a new site opens or remote capabilities are added.

If you don't live near a site, but do travel near one of them, you can enroll during your travels. Please contact the site's study coordinator in advance of your travel to discuss enrollment in the study. Contact information for the sites is available here.

How can I participate as a subject?

Click here to find out how to participate as a subject.

I'm a neurologist. How can my practice become a collection site?

Click here to learn more about how we add new collection sites.

I'm a researcher. How can I request samples and/or data?

Click here to learn more about requesting samples and data.

I do not have MS or any of the demyelinating diseases specified but I would still like to participate as a control. How can I do that?

If you are related to or have some other personal connection with a repository participant who does have a demyelinating disease, you may be eligible to enroll as a control. Please contact the study coordinator at the relevant site to discuss participation. We are not currently enrolling controls who are not related or connected to an existing participant, but we may in the future. Contact our repository director to express your interest.