In September, the training and refresher courses supported by FISM dedicated to sonologists and focused on Doppler techniques that have been used for diagnosing CCSVI up to now will start. They will be carried out by Prof. Zamboni and two specialized sonologists, Doctor Giovanni Malferrari (Arciospedale S.Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia) and Doctor Massimo Del Sette (Neurology Department, S.Andrea hospital, La Spezia). The first training course is being held at the centre for Doppler echo techniques, lead by Doctor Malferrari, in Reggio Emilia.

In addition to the above, the MS Italian society – as already said – is developing a special funding programme to support research on CCSVI. On July 14th, AISM and its Foundation will summon the Scientific Committee to finish assessing research projects and scholarships on CCSVI and MS that have been presented by Italian researchers thanks to the annual FISM call for research project proposals, which was closed on March 8th, 2010.

Prof. Mario Alberto Battaglia, President of the MS Italian Foundation, says: “As for CCSVI, we have been collaborating with the US and Canadian MS societies in the last few months. We are all allocating funds to the scientific community to research CCSVI and are working together to develop evaluation, approval and monitoring processes of research proposals we received from the most important research groups as a reaction to each national call for  proposals.”

The Italian programme aimed at supporting research studies on CCSVI of AISM and its Foundation is one of the joint programmes that are being developed by MS societies worldwide. AISM, its Foundation and more international MS societies (the US and Canadian societies especially) are using financial and organizational resources to promote, coordinate and speed up new research studies on the relationship between CCSVI and MS, thus guaranteeing the exchange of knowledge in the scientific community.

In the last few days, the Canadian and US societies have allocated 2.4 million dollars to support 7 research projects aiming at clarifying the relationship between CCSVI and MS and identifying the ideal screening methods for CCSVI, which is a key issue for further research. Screening methods will be fundamental for elaborating protocols aimed at preliminary therapeutic trials, which may be autonomously started in North America or other countries.

On the World MS Day organized by the MS International Federation and the world MS societies, MSIF (The MS International Federation grouping the many MS national societies) published its statement, i.e. the current state of research on CCSVI at the international level and the stance of the international MS societies (AISM is one of them) on CCSVI and the pathogenesis and treatment of MS.

Members of the ad hoc Scientific Committee on CCSVI:
Mario Alberto Battaglia, FISM President
Antonio Bellotto, MS Centre, Neurology Department, San Luigi hospital, Orbassano, Turin
Giancarlo Comi, San Raffaele University, Milan
Massimo Del Sette, Neurology Department, S.Andrea hospital, La Spezia
Angelo Ghezzi, MS Research Centre, Gallarate hospital
Giovanni Malferrari, Arciospedale S.Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia
Gianluigi Mancardi, University of Genoa
Marco Salvetti, La Sapienza University, Rome
Fabrizio Salvi, Neurological Dept., Bellaria hospital, Bologna
Maria Pia Sormani, University of Genoa
Luigi Tesio, Neuromotor Rehabilitation Laboratory, Milan
Paolo Zamboni, head of Department for vascular diseases of the University of Ferrara