For too long, Black people with MS have been invisible in the research shaping their care. Join the first international registry built by and for Black communities living with multiple sclerosis—across every border, every background, every experience.
Together, we’re changing MS outcomes worldwide.
Secure • Confidential • Free • Global
The numbers tell a devastating story:
The Black International Coalition of MS Research (BICOMS) is the world’s first global registry and research initiative dedicated exclusively to understanding and improving MS outcomes for Black communities—from Africa to the Americas, Europe to the Caribbean.
We exist because:
We’re not just collecting data. We’re demanding visibility. We’re building power. We’re changing the narrative.
For Black Individuals Living with MS
Only 1% of MS therapy trial participants are African American Brain & Life—meaning treatments aren’t validated for our biology. Your participation creates the evidence that forces change.
Studies show African Americans may respond differently to standard MS treatments PubMed CentralPractical Neurology, but there’s not enough data to know why or how to address it. You can help change that.
Many Black patients report diagnostic delays while doctors focused on diseases they thought were “more typical” in Black people PubMed Central. Your data helps educate the next generation of providers.
Get notified about clinical trials specifically recruiting Black participants, new treatment options, and research studies designed with diverse populations in mind.
Connect with Black individuals navigating MS across continents. Access culturally relevant education, resources, and advocacy tools. Be part of a community demanding equity.
Whether it’s your children, nieces, nephews, or community members—your participation today shapes what MS care looks like for Black people tomorrow.
Simple. Secure. Powerful.
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Periodically log in to share how you’re doing. Longitudinal data is critical for understanding disease progression.
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As we build the world’s first comprehensive international dataset on Black MS experiences, we’ll publish findings, advocate for policy change, and demand better from researchers and pharmaceutical companies.
Research using the Patient-Derived Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score shows African Americans score 4.5 compared to whites at 3.4—a statistically significant difference even after adjusting for age PubMed Central
Studies using MRI and optical coherence tomography reveal greater accelerated retinal damage and brain tissue loss, including regional brain atrophy, in Black patients compared to white patients PubMed Central
MS prevalence is similarly high among Black and white patients (225.8 vs 237.7 per 100,000), but the female preponderance is more pronounced among Black women (81.2%) than white women (76.3%) Rare Disease Advisor
The National MS Society reports that Black patients tend to experience more balance, coordination and walking problems, more cognitive and visual symptoms, more frequent relapses with poorer recovery, and earlier onset of disability Rare Disease Advisor
Clinical trials have less than 10% participation from minorities, which calls into question the efficacy profiles of disease-modifying treatments for these populations PubMed Central
Due to limited data available for African Americans in MS clinical trials, it is difficult to make informed, generalizable conclusions about natural history, prognosis, and therapeutic response in this population PubMed CentralNeurology
The lack of representation may reflect minorities having less access to specialists who are more likely to be at specialty care centers that recruit subjects for clinical trials PubMed Central
When treatments aren’t tested on diverse populations, we don’t know:
This is the founding phase of the world’s first international Black MS registry. The first 1,000 enrollees will:
The sooner we reach critical mass, the sooner we force the system to respond.
Every delay means:
This is the founding phase of the world’s first international Black MS registry. The first 1,000 enrollees will:
“For years, I felt like my MS was different—more aggressive, less responsive to treatment. Now I know I wasn’t imagining it. BICOMS is finally proving what Black patients have known all along.”
“I was told MS doesn’t happen to Black people. Three different doctors dismissed my symptoms before I finally got diagnosed—years too late. If BICOMS had existed then, maybe my doctor would have known better.”
“As a neurologist treating MS for 15 years, I’ve needed this data for my entire career. BICOMS is giving me the insights to provide evidence-based care specific to my Black patients.”
“Seeing people from Jamaica, Nigeria, Brazil, London, and Chicago all contributing—this is what global health equity actually looks like. We’re finally being counted.”
Your experience matters. Your data has power. Your participation changes everything.
Stop guessing. Start knowing. Enroll your Black patients and access population-specific insights.
Partner with us to design inclusive studies that actually represent the populations you claim to serve.
Amplify Black voices. Support the mission. Help us reach communities who don’t know this exists yet.
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