But Scripps Research employs world-class scientists, top technology…and determination…round the clock.

In the case of autoimmune disease, our normally tightly controlled immune system spins out of control, mistaking our own body as foreign and attacking different organs. One such autoimmune condition is multiple sclerosis (MS), a life-threatening and debilitating disease that affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide, many diagnosed in their early twenties. In MS, immune cells attack the protective sheath around neurons, leading to nerve degeneration and disabilities from brain and spinal cord damage.

Due to the complexity of MS and other autoimmune disorders, doctors and scientists struggle to understand and treat them. They rank among the greatest medical challenges of our time. But scientists at Scripps Research are unraveling these mysterious diseases, steadily deciphering the genetic and environmental triggers of an abnormal immune system and devising ways to prevent damage and reverse the disease.

Our closely linked immunology and neuroscience researchers have joined forces with our leaders in drug discovery and clinical science. Together, the team is translating discoveries about our nervous system into groundbreaking therapies. This essential work seeks to reduce the global burden of MS and restore the lives of patients and their loved ones.