Menzies Institute for Medical Research

MS Research Flagship
Newsletter

December 2025

MAKING HEADLINES

MS costs Australia $3 billion a year, with numbers continuing to rise

A new report from the MS Research Flagship Health Economics team reveals that MS is costing Australians more than $3 billion annually, with nearly 38,000 people now living with the disease – a 77% increase since 2010. Tasmania has the highest prevalence (number of people per 100,000 population), almost double that of some other states.

The report, commissioned by MS Australia, shows that costs climb sharply with disability ranging from $42,688 per person with no disability to $135,780 for severe disability. Employment loss alone accounts for $846 million each year. While average costs per person have slightly decreased, likely due to high-efficacy treatments, the overall economic burden continues to grow.

These findings draw on real-life data from thousands of Australians who participate in the Australian MS Longitudinal Study, which has tracked the lived experience of MS since 2002.  The report outlines seven key recommendations, including fast-tracking new treatments, boosting MS nurse numbers, improving NDIS processes, and funding research into prevention and repair.

🌐 Read the full report: Multiple Sclerosis Prevalence and Health Economic Impact in Australia 2025

Report authors (L-R) Professor Bruce Taylor, Dr Julie Campbell (lead report author), Professor Ingrid van der Mei and Dr Glen Henson at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research

IT'S A WRAP

From Barcelona to Brisbane: a conference round up

As the year draws to a close, our team has been busy sharing breakthroughs and forging and building on local and international collaborations to advance MS research.

In late September, researchers headed to Barcelona for the 41st European Committee for Treatment & Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) Congress, the world’s largest MS research conference. It was a particularly valuable opportunity for members of the Australian Consortium for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) Research in MS, including several of our researchers, who were able to meet with their European counterparts. They shared ideas and reviewed progress on the global initiative targeting EBV infection for treatment and prevention of MS. 

In mid November, we joined colleagues in Osaka, Japan for the 17th Pan-Asian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (PACTRIMS) Congress. Professor Bruce Taylor highlighted results from the TAURUS 2 trial on magnetic brain stimulation, and Dr Yi Chao Foong shared research on improving treatment for older people with MS.

Back on home turf in late November, MS Research Flagship researchers helped organise and chaired symposia at the 43rd Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Hobart. This premier event featured Dr Jessica Fletcher as an invited speaker and brought together hundreds of researchers, clinicians and industry partners to share advances in brain health, genomics, neurotechnology and translational neuroscience.

December saw a terrific Tassie turnout at MS Australia’s 2025 Progress in MS Research Conference in Brisbane. Across multiple sessions, many of our researchers shared their insights through presentations and posters on MS and genetics, EBV, sleep, pain, and more.

We’re proud of the team for representing the MS Research Flagship and Tasmania on both the national and global stage, showcasing the innovative work happening at Menzies and bringing back fresh insights to strengthen our efforts here at home.

SAVE THE DATE

Research with Connections 2026

Plans are already under way for next year's Research with Connections, the MS Research Flagship's premier event which celebrates the power of research and community connections. The public event will be held on Friday 29 May 2026 at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart, so be sure to save the date!

DIGITAL INNOVATION

InforMS recognised as a leading example of digital health innovation in MS care 

Purpose-built digital health platform InforMS is helping reimagine MS care, and in late October it was recognised as a national example of digital health innovation.

Developed by a team from the MS Research Flagship, InforMS enables people living with MS to self-manage their condition, track symptoms, and coordinate care across multiple specialists, all while sharing real-time data to support informed clinical decision-making.

It’s built on more than 20 years of data from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study (AMSLS), and in close consultation with the MS community, ensuring it meets real-world needs.

We’re honoured that InforMS was featured as a case study in the newly launched 'Enabling Remote Care: Funding Pathways for Digital Therapeutics and Remote Patient Monitoring' report from the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA). The report profiles Australia’s world-class digital health technologies and calls for urgent reform to funding systems so that proven innovations like InforMS can move beyond pilots and reach more people.

InforMS is currently in a research phase for participants of the AMSLS to evaluate its impact on health outcomes before broader rollout. We’re excited about its potential to transform MS care and contribute to a more connected, equitable digital health future.

🌐 Learn more about InforMS

InforMS is jointly funded by MS Australia and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The NHMRC requires us to note the the views expressed by this project may not reflect those of the NHMRC.

IN THE COMMUNITY

MS health economics researchers share insights with U3A Clarence

In September, Dr Julie Campbell and Dr Glen Henson, both MS Australia Fellows from the Flagship’s MS Health Economics team, shared their research at a well-attended session at U3A Clarence.

They explained their work in MS health economics covering topics such as prevalence, costs, quality of life and how these factors feed into health economics modelling. Julie and Glen also highlighted how this important research is translated into advocacy, particularly by MS Australia, to improve the lives of people living with MS and their families and supporters. 

Attendees asked thoughtful questions, including why MS prevalence is rising and how health economics data is used for modelling.

Thank you for your hospitality U3A Clarence!

The research presented to U3A was funded by MS Australia.

RESEARCH TEAM SPOTLIGHT

MS Sleep Study

Can we collect better data on sleep in people living with MS? 

That’s the question being explored by Dr Laura Laslett and her team in this research study. Poor sleep is common in people living with MS and affects quality of life. But the data usually collected on sleep isn’t as good as it could be. This study is about finding what the most important aspects of sleep are, and to collect that data for future research.

To do that, the study is looking at:

• How people think they sleep (data from survey responses)
• How people actually sleep (data from research grade FitBits)
• How day-to-day fluctuations in MS symptoms might influence sleep
• Whether tracking sleep for longer, maybe 2-3 weeks, gives better insights.

The study is also asking people how they feel about tracking their symptoms and using activity monitors, because data collection is more successful if it’s practical and acceptable to participants.

The ultimate goal? To determine the most effective way to collect sleep data so that future studies on treatments for sleep have the best possible evidence.

MS Sleep Study team members (L-R) Tadele Girum Adal, Dr Cynthia Honan, Dr Laura Laslett, Professor Bruce Taylor, Rowena Auchterlonie (absent: Angela Land)

The MS Sleep Study is funded by Menzies Institute for Medical Research

RECRUITING NOW

The AMSLS is a partnership between Menzies Institute for Medical Research and MS Australia.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Menopause does not worsen MS disability, landmark study finds

A major international study has found that menopause does not accelerate disability in women living with MS. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, challenges previous assumptions that hormonal changes during menopause might worsen MS symptoms or progression.

The study, the largest of its kind, analysed data from MSBase, the world’s largest MS clinical outcomes register that follows over 120,000 people with MS globally. It also observed 987 women with MS recruited from eight Australian neuroimmunology-specialist centres for just over 14 years on average. The Menzies Institute for Medical Research contributed the data for around 100 of these cases.

Researchers compared disability levels before and after menopause and found no evidence that menopause increases the risk of disability progression. This is reassuring news for women with MS, as it suggests that while menopause can bring its own challenges, it is not a critical factor in worsening the disease. The findings underscore the importance of evidence-based guidance for women with MS navigating life changes.

🌐 Access the full study

Understanding pain types in people with MS

A new study led by researchers from Menzies Institute for Medical Research has taken a deep dive into the experience of pain in MS. Analysing pain data from more than 1600 participants of the Australian MS Longitudinal Study, they found that 53% of participants had regular pain, with 20% having as many as five to ten types of pain.

Dysesthetic extremity pain (burning, tingling, numbness, prickling or vice or tight band-like sensations) and spasticity-associated pain (increased stiffness of the limbs, including cramping, aching or pulling sensations) were the most reported pain types, experienced by more than 40% of people with MS.

Enhancing the awareness of pain in multiple sclerosis may support improved pain management and better quality of life.

🌐 Access the full study

ENROL TODAY

NEW FACES

MS RESEARCH FLAGSHIP IN NUMBERS

Consumer and community involvement in 2025

Throughout 2025, members of our Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) contributed 340 hours across 18 different research projects. They also attended and provided input on 25 occasions at governance and networking meetings and presented or co-presented on 3 occasions. The charts below show how this compares with previous years.

More information

🌐 Find out more about Consumer & community involvement at the MS Research Flagship

SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE

The MS Research Flagship wishes everyone a safe and happy end to the year. See you in 2026!