External Review of the Sylvia Lawry Centre (SLC) for Multiple Sclerosis Research Executive Summary

• The SLC has become a reference centre for the analysis of the long
term natural history of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

• The SLC has demonstrated rigorously that widely accepted dogma about the evaluation of MS as a clinical disease is not sustained. Methods used to assess patient disability, the disease burden MS imposes and the efficacy of therapy have been shown to be flawed.

• Particular strengths of SLC include the evaluation of the natural history and interventions in MS; this expertise could be extended to other chronic diseases including neurodegenerative diseases.

• The scientific quality of work at the centre is good and at its best is very competitive internationally with great potential impact on health policy.

• Research awards for work at the SLC have been successful but the withdrawal of the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation core support severely restrained work at the Centre after 2005.

• Local, national and international collaborations have been very critical as means of achieving the scientific goals of the Centre. Both universities of Munich (TUM and LMU) are strong collaborators with SLC in respectively mathematics and statistics.

• The Director (Dr.M.Daumer) has demonstrated strong leadership particularly when the existence of the Centre was at stake.

• The SLC still faces a critical financial situation despite its laudable aims to assess, without bias, the expensive interventions proposed for MS.

• If the unique resource of the Centre are to preserved bridging funds are needed so that the new, admirable strategy of the Director can be enacted.

• This strategy as articulated is too broad. A more focussed plan which builds on the Centres’ expertise is recommended.