Kent State formally announced a partnership with the Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis yesterday.

Talks for the partnership have been in the works since 2003, said Lisa Lambert, university public relations and marketing coordinator. The university hopes the partnership will advance treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Kent State is providing research and classroom facilities for the partnership in Williams and Cunningham halls and the Science Research building, Lambert said. There is also a research team based on the Kent State campus.

Residents of northeast Ohio are more susceptible to multiple sclerosis, Lambert said.

The disease usually strikes people between the ages of 25 and 50, said Timothy Carrabine, Oak Clinic director. It is the leading cause of disability in young Americans.

— Rachel Abbey