FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A new model for open MS discovery invites the brightest minds in the field to interrogate ACP’s longitudinal and multi-omic MS data spanning decades in a single secure environment
Waltham, MA, June 9, 2026 — Accelerated Cure Project for MS (ACP) today announced the ACP Data Challenge Pilot, a first-of-its-kind research initiative that gives multidisciplinary teams broad, secure access to ACP’s full research ecosystem in a single platform. Selected teams will explore biological and longitudinal data drawn from more than 6,000 people living with MS within the DNAnexus Titan Trusted Research Environment, pursuing original research questions and presenting their findings at a final virtual showcase. Applications are due July 20, 2026.
The ACP Data Challenge represents a fundamental shift in how ACP’s research infrastructure reaches the scientific community. For more than two decades, ACP has assembled one of the most comprehensive MS research resources in existence: a biosample repository, a returned multi-omics data resource spanning genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and more, and iConquerMS, a people-powered research network governed by the MS community itself. The Data Challenge puts that infrastructure directly into the hands of researchers ready to unlock what it holds.
“The MS community has spent decades contributing to this research infrastructure,” said Stephanie Buxhoeveden, PhD, chief scientific officer at ACP. “The Data Challenge is how we put it to work, by inviting the best minds in the field to ask questions this data is uniquely positioned to answer.”
Participating teams will work within the DNAnexus Titan Trusted Research Environment, with access to two exceptional datasets: REAL-MS, a decade-long longitudinal study of clinical and people-reported outcomes conducted through iConquerMS; and ACP’s returned multi-omic datasets, including RNA-seq, miRNA, genomics, and proteomics. The active project period runs September through November 2026, culminating in a final showcase and post-event white paper that will bring findings to the broader research community.
The challenge is open to multidisciplinary teams including computational biologists, MS neurologists, data scientists, early-career investigators, trainees, and people living with MS who want to engage directly in the science. Accepted teams receive a $5,000 stipend, mentorship, and subject-matter expert access throughout the project period.
“This is people-powered research in action,” said Sara Loud, CEO of ACP. “Every person who participates in iConquerMS or donated a biosample to our Repository made this data possible. We owe them our best effort to turn that generosity into answers, and that’s exactly what the ACP Data Challenge is designed to do.”
The ACP Data Challenge Pilot is designed to grow. Each future edition will deepen the datasets, broaden the participating community, and sharpen the science—building toward an annual event that generates new hypotheses, surfaces novel computational approaches, and catalyzes collaborations that outlast the challenge itself.
For more info: acceleratedcure.org/data-challenge
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About Accelerated Cure Project for MS
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.
Media Contact:
Cristal Balis
Director of Marketing & Communications
Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis
cbalis@acceleratedcure.org