Waltham, MA, February 18, 2026 — Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis (ACP) today announced PRADA, a new research priority-setting initiative powered by iConquerMS, ACP’s online network where people living with MS share health data and lived experience to drive science forward. What makes PRADA distinct from traditional priority-setting processes is its intentional design to ensure that people historically left out of research play a direct role in determining what researchers should focus on next.
When designing PRADA, ACP reviewed existing models for setting research priorities with community input. Drawing from these approaches, ACP partnered with iConquerMS members, researchers, and funding partners to create a process that would ensure perspectives from underrepresented communities remained central throughout.
Through its first project, PRADA produced a community-defined top 10 list of research priorities on MS symptoms and their treatment and management. The process included
multiple rounds of community input: question submission, discussion, refinement, and prioritization.
Members of the iConquerMS Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (RIDE) Council— a leadership group established to broaden participation in MS research and guide researchers on making their studies more inclusive — were closely involved throughout the process. Their early input directly informed which research questions advanced to later stages, and their perspectives also helped to shape the final agenda.
“Too often, people affected by MS—especially those from communities historically excluded from research—are asked to weigh in only after key decisions have already been made,” said Hollie Schmidt, vice president of scientific operations at Accelerated Cure Project. “The PRADA process is focused throughout on the interests of people with MS, and the resulting research agenda highlights the questions that are most meaningful both to specific groups and the community as a whole.”
ACP introduced its first research agenda developed through PRADA at the ACTRIMS Forum earlier this month, one of the largest international gatherings of MS researchers and clinicians. These priorities are now being shared with researchers, funders, and partners to help inform future MS research efforts. PRADA is designed as a repeatable process that ACP will use on other MS-related topics. ACP also plans to share lessons from the PRADA process with the broader research community as part of its commitment to advancing more inclusive research practices. The project was supported by funding from Bristol Myers Squibb and EMD Serono.
Learn more about the PRADA Project and view the full research agenda at: acceleratedcure.org/prada-project.
About Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis
Accelerated Cure Project for MS (ACP) is a patient-founded nonprofit on a mission to accelerate a cure for multiple sclerosis by enabling people-centered research. ACP unites people affected by MS, researchers, clinicians, funders, and partners to build and share essential resources for discovery, including the ACP Repository of biosamples and data, the iConquerMS people-powered research network, and initiatives focused on
inclusive research engagement.
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Media contact:
Cristal Balis
Director of Marketing & Communications
Accelerated Cure Project
cbalis@acceleratedcure.org
773-520-0049 – cell
