Funder and facilitator of research into women’s health in multiple sclerosis (MS)
MS Research Funding
I have donated more than £1.5 million to support MS research in the UK through my family foundation. Originally, much of my giving was aimed at kick-starting hard-to-fund MS studies. In recent years, however, my attention has shifted to advancing MS health equity – and, in particular, research into women’s health.
Women and MS research
Women are three times more likely to live with MS, compared to men. Traditionally, however, research into our specific health needs have been substantially underfunded and overlooked. To help close this gap, I have invested in a number of initiatives. These include:
Rachel Horne Prize for Women’s Research in MS
Set up the annual, international $40,000 Rachel Horne Prize for Women’s Research in MS to encourage and reward women scientists for their outstanding contributions to female-related care and treatment in the disease.
UK MS Pregnancy register
Financed the establishment and initial costs of the UK MS Pregnancy Register, set up by Prof. Ruth Dobson, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). By gathering information from both mothers with MS and their babies, the study is giving clinicians and patients clearer and more consistent answers about pregnancy and MS to guide decision-making.
MS Domestic Violence and Abuse Research Initiative
Funded the MS Domestic Violence and Abuse Research Initiative at the University of Leeds to better understand and address the high prevalence of domestic violence and abuse against people with MS. The project has developed practical tools to help clinicians identify and support victim-survivors and improve care pathways.
EQUITY MS
Supported the establishment of EQUITY MS, a UK-based multi-centre research study. This project aims to see if factors such as deprivation, ethnicity and location cause delays in MS diagnosis and access to effective treatments. It is led by Prof. Helen Ford, University of Leeds, and the analysis will be conducted by researchers at Bradford Institute for Health Research.
Horne Advanced Fellowship in MS
Pledged £400,000 every four years to QMUL to create a new academic position that allows aspiring clinical academics to develop a program of research focusing on social determinants of health in MS.
Read an interview with me and Prof. Ruth Dobson about the fellowship
CHARIOTMS trial
In 2016, I began working with QMUL and in particular with Prof. Gavin Giovannoni, Chair of Neurology. I supported the #ThinkHand campaign which was critical in securing funding for the CHARIOTMS trial. This ground-breaking multi-sited study investigates if the drug cladribine (Mavenclad) can slow the decline of arm and hand function in people with advanced MS.
EBV and MS
Further research initiatives I have funded include testing the impact of anti-viral drug famciclovir on Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) shedding in people with MS and, most recently, supporting a three-year research programme looking at the diagnosis and management of infectious mononucleosis, led by Prof. Giovannoni.
PhD support
Integral to my giving is funding more than half a dozen PhD fellowships linked to MS research. These include:
- the impact of social capital on people with MS (QMUL)
- MS and patient experience of menopause (QMUL)
- EBV and memory B-cells in MS (QMUL)
- extracellular vesicles in MS (QMUL)
- the impact of domestic violence and abuse on people with MS (University of Leeds) and the response of health care professionals (University of Nottingham)
Earlier MS research funding
My earliest donations supported the work of Prof. Alasdair Coles and Prof. Alastair Compston at the University of Cambridge in developing alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) - one of the first highly-effective drug treatments for people with relapse-remitting MS.
I also supported two neurology trainees to work with Prof. Coles on developing repurposed drugs as potential remyelinating therapies in MS.
Enquire about MS research funding
If you are looking for funding for a research project into MS, especially in the areas of women’s health or equitable healthcare, please get in touch by sending an email to rachel@horne-stone.co.uk with more details for my consideration.