Accelerated Cure Project for MS and EMD Serono Partner to Provide Resources to Caregivers

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with generous support from EMD Serono's Embracing Caregivers initiative, announced today the launch of a new website designed to support the care partners of people living with MS.

The MS Care Partner Connection will provide users with important information about managing life with MS and links to carefully vetted and curated resources. Resources cover topics such as understanding MS and MS caregiving, self-care for care partners, navigating the health system, managing relationships, and financial planning. The site also features an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot to answer caregiving questions whenever users need them.

"The MS Care Partner Connection is the resource I wish I had when I was caring for my wife," says Jon Strum, host of the RealTalk MS podcast and Care Partner Advisory Board member. "We struggled to find useful information and real support during her illness, and it took a heavy toll on us. I hope this resource will help others avoid some of the challenges we faced."

The MS Care Partner Connection is the result of a collaborative effort by a team of MS care partners, clinicians, and researchers, spearheaded by ACP, via its iConquer MS people-powered research network, and generously funded by EMD Serono's Embracing Carers initiative.

While not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, and treatment, each resource listed on the site has been carefully evaluated by the Advisory Board for accuracy and reliability, readability, and access. If users can't find an answer among these resources, the AI Caregiving Expert, an automated chatbot powered by ChatGPT offers helpful general advice and support. Whether users consider themselves a care partner, caregiver, support partner, spouse, or family member of someone living with MS, this site has been designed to connect users with useful and reliable information at any point in the caregiving journey. 

"We're excited to provide such a valuable service to people who are caring for people with MS," says Sara Loud, CEO of Accelerated Cure Project for MS. "These carefully vetted resources, which will be regularly reviewed and updated, promise to help caregivers find the information and support they need."

CONTACT
Melissa Glim, MPH
Ogilvy Health
[email protected]

About Accelerated Cure Project
ACP (www.acceleratedcure.org) is a patient-founded non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating research efforts to improve the health, healthcare and quality of life of people affected by MS. The organization promotes scientific collaboration and accelerates research by rapidly and cost-effectively providing researchers worldwide with people, data and biosample resources they need to explore novel research ideas that can lead to cures and better care for people living with MS. The major programs of Accelerated Cure Project are the ACP Repository, the iConquerMS™ People-Powered Research Network and the MS Minority Research Engagement Partnership Network.

About the iConquerMS People-Powered Research Network
iConquerMS™ (www.iConquerMS.org) is a research initiative by and for individuals living with MS who contribute their ideas and their health data. iConquerMS™ was established in 2014 by the Accelerated Cure Project for MS, in partnership with Feinstein Kean Healthcare and Arizona State University. Initial funding for iConquerMS™ was provided by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) (www.PCORI.org). Over 8,000 individuals living with MS are currently registered as iConquerMS™ research participants, constituting a large and growing cohort for data-driven research into topics that matter most to people affected by MS. iConquerMS™ achieves its purpose, to improve the health, healthcare and quality of life of people affected by MS, through collaborations with U.S. and international academic, government, and industry organizations.

SOURCE Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis