ABSTRACT
Progress in the development of strategies to prevent, treat and ultimately cure human disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) in particular, is critically dependent on the conduct of scientifically valid research. Indeed, scientists and physicians have an ethical mandate to pursue this goal, but to do so in a manner that conforms to the highest ethical standards. Research aimed at the target of successful treatment for MS invariably begins at the laboratory bench. In most instances, progress with in vitro studies leads to the next step of animal experimentation. Should the agent under investigation continue to look promising, research with human subjects begins. Each of these levels of investigation entails its own set of ethical controls. This chapter, however, exclusively addresses ethical issues that relate specifically to the conduct of human investigation.
