Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroinflammation Center

The UCSF Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroinflammation Center is one of California's premier programs for evaluating, diagnosing and treating adult and pediatric patients with inflammatory diseases of the nervous system. Our knowledge and expertise in caring for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is recognized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which has designated us a comprehensive care center and a Partner in MS Care.

Our team includes renowned experts in neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, neuropsychology, infectious disease and rehabilitative medicine. They work closely with one another – as well as with specialists in other fields, like urology, gastroenterology, and rheumatology – to provide personalized, comprehensive care for patients with any type of neuroinflammatory disease. The state-of-the-art tools and services of our Neurodiagnostic Center allow us to evaluate patients' conditions in great detail and use our findings to design the best treatment plan for each person.

Our goal is to help patients manage their symptoms and stay as active, healthy and independent as possible. The team also serves as a resource for education and emotional support for patients and their families. Telemedicine follow-up visits are available for those who find them more convenient.

Our research

In addition to delivering the best possible patient care, we're committed to advancing medical understanding of the causes of neuroinflammatory disease and to looking for potential cures. UCSF is a top recipient of research funding from the National Institutes of Health and National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Our center's doctors are on the forefront of research into the causes of MS and new ways to treat it. Dr. Stephen Hauser, director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, was awarded the prestigious John Dystel Prize in 2008 for his pioneering studies on genetic susceptibility to MS. Other doctors on our team helped develop breakthrough therapies, such as the drug ocrelizumab, a treatment for progressive MS approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017.

Many of our doctors also lead studies at the UCSF Center for Encephalitis & Meningitis, which is focused on developing better testing and treatments for encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord).

Thanks to our robust research program, our patients often have opportunities to take part in clinical trials, studies to evaluate promising therapies.