Octopus: clinical trial update in Edinburgh
The research team at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic have shared an update on their work in Octopus:
March 2025: Stage two of the Octopus Trial is open for recruitment at the Anne Rowling Clinic.
We are delighted to announce that we are now recruiting for stage 2 of the Octopus Multi-Arm Multi-Stage Clinical Trial.
Octopus is a UK-wide trial led by University College London. Octopus is testing whether particular drugs slow down disease progression for people who have progressive types of MS. Currently the potential treatments being tested are Metformin and Alpha-Lipoic Acid.
The Anne Rowling Clinic has already successfully recruited 48 participants to Octopus. These people will remain in the trial, and there will be no change for them.
Stage 2:
New participants joining the trial will go into “Stage 2”. The only difference between Stage 2 and Stage 1 is that people participating in Stage 2 will not need to undergo MRI scans.
All data collected in Stage 2 will help the research team understand the safety of the treatments tested in Octopus and the potential benefit they could have on MS symptoms and disability.
We are very grateful to everyone who has participated in Octopus, without whom research like this wouldn't be possible.
You can read more about Octopus at the Anne Rowling Clinic here.
You can sign up to join Octopus and chose the Anne Rowling Clinic as your preferred site here.
