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UPHS MS Center |
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Penn Comprehensive Neuroscience Center
Our Program
The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) program at the University of Pennsylvania Health System provides comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment for patients with MS and other demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system. In addition to maintaining high standards for clinical service, the Penn MS program is a leader in MS training and in clinical and laboratory-based research.
Setting the Standard for Comprehensive MS Care in the Region
The Penn MS program provides consultative services and ongoing care for more than 3,000 patients yearly. The program includes eight full-time faculty members, and specializes in quality, state-of-the art clinical care with a personal approach. Patients are evaluated by a multi-disciplinary team that includes physicians and highly-trained nurse practitioners who are experts in symptom management, treatment, patient education, and health-maintenance and general well-being for patients with MS.
Individualized Clinical Evaluation, Diagnosis, Treatment and Support - Neuroradiologists at Penn are developing new MRI technologies that will enhance the diagnosis of MS and the assessment of disease activity. Cutting-edge imaging protocols and techniques, including use of 3-Tesla magnets, have been implemented through collaborative efforts of Penn’s MS researchers and radiologists for use in MS trials as well as in clinical care.
- Ancillary testing methods, including evoked potentials, blood studies, bladder ultrasound, and lumbar puncture assist MS clinicians in diagnosis and ongoing follow-up.
- Challenging and standard aspects of patient management are reviewed by the Penn MS faculty and trainees during case conferences.
- Consultations with rehabilitation medicine, physical and occupational therapy, urology, neuropsychology, neuro-ophthalmology, and other services are available as part of the comprehensive approach to each patient.
- MS-certified nurses and nurse practitioners provide individualized training and support for management of symptoms of MS, for self-injection of immunomodulatory therapies, and for counseling and coordination of care.
- Support groups organized by MS staff offer opportunities for patient education.
- A comprehensive MS clinical database facilitates follow-up and disease monitoring.
Shaping the Future of MS Treatment
Research teams in the Penn MS program lead clinical and laboratory-based research programs that are recognized at both regional and international levels for their contributions to the advancement of MS treatment. Research projects are sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National MS Society, and industry, and include the following areas of focus:
- International treatment trials to determine the efficacy of current and novel therapies for patients at all phases of MS, including first demyelinating events, relapsing-remitting, secondary-progressive, and primary progressive MS.
- In collaboration with Penn Neuroradiology, investigations are ongoing to evaluate multimodal MRI, diffusion-tensor imaging, and other modalities as measures of MS disease location and activity within the brain and spinal cord.
- Collaborative efforts between neuro-ophthalmologists and MS clinicians to validate and implement new visual outcome measures. These studies provide key findings that will establish the visual pathways as a model for studying neuroprotective therapies.
- World-class laboratory-based research programs neurovirology and immunology are providing insight into our understanding of potential causes for MS on a cellular level, building a foundation for future drug development.
- In collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, clinical outcome measures for vision and neurologic function are being evaluated at Penn to establish their role and use in the pediatric population to facilitate development of clinical trials in pediatric MS.
A Legacy of Hope
The MS program was originally established in 1980 to perform basic research to investigate the origin and development of multiple sclerosis and to provide specialty services for individuals who were burdened with what was, at that time, an untreatable disease. Since then, the program has trained many of the leading MS clinicians and researchers throughout the U.S. and internationally. - As active and consistent participants in pivotal MS treatment trials, faculty and staff in the MS program have had provided important contributions to the development of immunomodulatory and other forms of therapy.
- Neuroradiology and immunology research at Penn is continuing to advance techniques and models of disease to advance diagnosis and treatment.
- Researchers in MS and neuro-ophthalmology at Penn are leading international collaborative efforts to develop measures of visual function and axonal loss through ocular imaging for use in ongoing and future MS clinical trials. These studies have also established the visual profile of MS as including sub-clinical dysfunction not detectable by conventional visual acuity testing.
Hours of Operation
The UPHS Multiple Sclerosis Center is open Monday-Friday.
To make a appointment please go to http://www.pennhealth.com/neuro/services
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