The ECTRIMS Podcast

If you talk to someone living with MS about their journey, one of the first things they will tell you is that they knew something was wrong long before they received their diagnosis. While this anecdotal evidence has been commonly discussed, it was only relatively recently that the research world has started to investigate this concept. Through this work, the idea of an MS prodrome has been studied, with potential implications for early diagnosis and treatment. Host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate speaks with Prof. Helen Tremlett of the University of British Columbia, a leading expert in recognising and investigating the MS prodrome.

Significant progress has been made in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments over the past 20 years. What does the next 20 years hold for MS therapies? What novel targets are being investigated? What clinical trials are in the pipeline and when can we expect new medications in the market? Host Brett Drummond of MS Translate explores these questions and more with Prof. Heinz Wiendl of University of Freiburg and Prof. Ludwig Kappos of University Hospital Basel.

Nurses play a specialised and unique role in the journey of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). At ECTRIMS 2024, MS nurses showcased their experiences and insights into how to effectively support patients. In this episode, host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate talks with veteran MS nurses K-J Lazarus of Austin Health in Australia and Fiona d'Young of the Auckland Hospital in New Zealand.

The Patient Community Day of ECTRIMS 2024 brought together people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), medical professionals, researchers, and advocates in two interactive sessions. They explored the forefront of MS research and treatment, focusing on groundbreaking topics like remyelination and myelin repair. They disussed promising new therapies that could revolutionise patient care, along with practical lifestyle changes and effective symptom management strategies.

In Part II of our Patient Community Day episode, host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate talks to Sumaira Ahmed and Trevis Gleason, who are living with NMOSD and MS, respectively, about their experience attending the event.

The Patient Community Day of ECTRIMS 2024 brought together people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), medical professionals, researchers, and advocates in two interactive sessions. They explored the forefront of MS research and treatment, focusing on groundbreaking topics like remyelination and myelin repair. They disussed promising new therapies that could revolutionise patient care, along with practical lifestyle changes and effective symptom management strategies.

In Part 1 of our Patient Community Day episode, Elisabeth Kasilingam, Chief Executive Officer of the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) and Vice President of the European Patients’ Forum, talks with host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate about bridging the gap between patients, clinicians, and the scientific community.

The recent ECTRIMS 2024 in Copenhagen showcased the work of young scientific investigators, including this year's ECTRIMS Fellowship recipients Oscar Ayala from Colombia and Zuhal Abasiyanik from Turkey. Every year, ECTRIMS awards fellowships across various categories to promote knowledge and expertise in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oscar and Zuhal spoke with host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate about the research projects that they will be pursuing and how they believe this opportunity will impact their career.

The ECTRIMS Fellowship application period for the 2025 cycle is now open. Apply before the deadline of December 1, 2024 at 23:59 CET.

Former ECTRIMS President and MS Journal Editor-in-Chief Alan Thompson and host Brett Drummond wrap up the last day of ECTRIMS 2024 with their final thoughts and insights.

Anne Helme, Head of Research at MSIF, and host Brett Drummond discuss the key takeaways unveiled on the second day of ECTRIMS 2024 in Copenhagen, as well as the value of global collaboration.

ECTRIMS Vice President Bruno Stankoff highlights the most relevant insights from day one of ECTRIMS 2024 in Copenhagen, and provides a glimpse of what to expect from the ECTRIMS society in the coming year.

Listen to Romain Marignier from CHU de Lyon and host Brett Drummond discuss highlights of ECTRIMS' new Pre-Day on NMOSD, MOGAD, and other rare neurological conditions.

Misdiagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) is not uncommon. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disorder (MOGAD) can have clinical manifestations similar to MS. In this two-part episode, host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate speaks with Prof. Sara Mariotto of the University of Verona in Italy and Prof. Kazuo Fujihara of Fukushima Medical University in Japan about the latest research on the pathogenesis of these diseases, diagnostic criteria, potential treatment approaches, and any learnings that may be translated to MS.

Misdiagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) is not uncommon. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disorder (MOGAD) can have clinical manifestations similar to MS. In this two-part episode, host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate speaks with Prof. Sara Mariotto of the University of Verona in Italy and Prof. Kazuo Fujihara of Fukushima Medical University in Japan about the latest research on the pathogenesis of these diseases, diagnostic criteria, potential treatment approaches, and any learnings that may be translated to MS.

The following episode has been produced by the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in collaboration with the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), and has been published on both the EAN and ECTRIMS Podcast channels to ensure our joint communities have access to it.

In this episode of eanCast: Weekly Neurology, host Melinda Magyari is joined by ECTRIMS Podcast host Brett Drummond to talk about the ECTRIMS-EAN Vaccination Consensus Statement with lead author Susana Otero of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital, Barcelona, Spain and the Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia (Cemcat).

Read the full article here.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex and multifaceted neurological disorder. While MS has a genetic component, it is not a classic genetic disease. For this reason, a large amount of research has been done to identify environmental factors that may also be involved. In this episode, host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate talks with Emmanuelle Waubant, Professor of Neurology and Paediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, about the latest findings on the role that environmental, genetic, and epigenetic risk factors play in MS. 

The next major step forward in the management of MS involves finding treatments that can repair damaged myelin. If successful, it would offer the potential to start to reverse some of the symptoms experienced by people living with MS. Bruno Stankoff, a neurologist of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris and vice president of ECTRIMS, and Gianvito Martino, scientific director of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, discuss this important MS research area with host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate.

People living with MS want to be able to improve their quality of life and take control of a disease that is often filled with uncertainty. In this space, no topic has generated more interest or discussion than lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise. What is the current evidence on how effective they can be at helping manage the disease? Robert Motl, professor of kinesiology and nutrition, and rehabilitation sciences at University of Illinois-Chicago, and Kathryn Fitzgerald, assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University, join host Brett Drummond of MStranslate.

While multiple sclerosis (MS) has been traditionally described as a disease of young adults, the significant improvements in treatments over the past few decades has meant that researchers and clinicians are now increasingly handling questions related to the impact of ageing. 

In this episode, host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate talks with Anneke Van Der Walt, Director of MS and Neuroimmunology and Neuro-ophthalmology at Alfred Health in Melbourne, Australia and lead of the MS and Neuro-ophthalmology Research Group at the School of Translational Medicine, Monash University; and Professor Frederik Barkhof, Chair of Neuroradiology, Brain Repair & Rehabilitation at University College London's Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Professor in Neuroradiology at the Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine at VUmc in Amsterdam, on the key takeaways from a recent international workshop on ageing.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a powerful tool to help enhance our understanding of MS disease processes, improve our diagnostic accuracy, better predict disease course, and identify optimal treatments. How is AI being used in MS research currently and what may it be able to do in the future? Host Alan Thompson, Editor in Chief of MS Journal, talks with Arman Eshaghi of the Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, and Daniel Ontaneda of the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis in the United States.

In a landscape where funding is increasingly difficult to obtain, the importance of conducting research that has the greatest impact has never been more important. In the case of women with MS, a large-scale scoping review,* conducted on behalf of the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS, sheds light on the research gaps related to female health. ln this episode, host Brett Drummond of MSTranslate talks with two of its authors -- Lindsay Ross, an assistant professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and Ruth Ann Marrie, professor of medicine and community health sciences at the University of Manitoba in Canada.

*Ross, L., Finlayson, M., Amato, M. P., Cohen, J. A., Hellwig, K., Tintore, M., Vukusic, S., Salter, A., & Marrie, R. A. (2024). Priority setting: women's health topics in multiple sclerosis. Frontiers in neurology, 15, 1355817. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1355817

The ECTRIMS Congress offers a valuable opportunity for young researchers to gain experience and exposure. Joonas Lehikoinen from Helsinki University Hospital and the University of Helsinki Neurocenter, along with Ahmed Abdelhak from the University of California, San Francisco, received poster abstract prizes at MSMilan2023. Host Brett Drummond from MSTranslate talks with them about their research, experiences, and advice for young researchers preparing abstracts for ECTRIMS2024.

With the growing push towards taking a more personalised approach to the treatment and management of multiple sclerosis, it is important to understand the unique issues – both socially and clinically – that may arise among people of different ethnicities. In this episode, Natalie Bursari of The Nerve of My Multiple Sclerosis in the UK and Mitzi Joi Williams of Joi Life Wellness Multiple Sclerosis Center in the US discuss the issues faced by Black people living with MS, with host Brett Drummond of MStranslate. 

Discussions are ongoing to change the way MS patients are diagnosed and treated. In this episode,  Xavier Montalban, Chair of the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in Multiple Sclerosis, which is leading the discussions, explains the evolution of the McDonald criteria and why these proposed revisions are important for clinicians and patients alike.

Recent global epidemiological data show that approximately 70% of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis are women.  While this may tell us something about the mechanisms behind disease susceptibility, it also raises a number of unique challenges throughout the MS journey.  In this episode, Ruth Dobson, Professor of Clinical Neurology at Queen Mary University of London, and Emmanuelle Leray, Professor of Epidemiology at Ecole des hautes études en santé publique in Rennes, France, guide us through the different stages of this pathway and discuss the latest research findings that relate to female health.

The MSMilan Patient Community Day was designed for people living with multiple sclerosis and related neurological diseases and their caregivers to stay updated and involved in the advancements being made on their journey towards managing their conditions. In this episode, Tim Coetzee, Chief Advocacy, Services & Science Officer and Bonnie Higgins, Director of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in the United States discuss their experiences at MSMilan Patient Community Day, their roles, and why they believe it is important to put people living with MS and other neurological conditions at the centre of everything that we do. 

Why do some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) continue to run marathons while others are in wheelchairs years after diagnosis? Genetics partly explains why. Scientists have identified the first genetic marker for MS severity, which could pave the way for new treatments to prevent disease progression. Sergio Baranzini of University of California San Francisco and Adil Harroud of McGill University in Canada discuss their findings with host Brett Drummond of MS Translate.

Descriptors of multiple sclerosis are currently based on a combination of clinical and MRI features, and include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting, secondary and primary progressive subtypes. Accumulating evidence suggests that the clinical course of MS is better considered as a continuum, with contributions from concurrent pathophysiological processes that vary across individuals and over time. In this episode, MS Journal Editor in Chief Alan Thompson talks with neurologists Marcello Moccia of the Multiple Sclerosis Unit of the University of Naples Federico II and Angela Vidal of Centre d’Esclerosi Multiple de Catalunya on the new understanding of the key mechanisms underlying progression and the availability of neuroimaging and humoral biomarkers and their implications for clinical care and treatment.

Two sessions at the 9th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting (MSMilan2023) focused on nursing. Nurses play a critical role throughout an MS patient's life. And in this episode, we discuss the changing role of MS nurses and the challenges they face, with guests Belinda Bardsley, an N-CRESS (Neuro-Immunology Clinical Research, Education and Support Service) Nurse Manager at Austin Health in Melbourne, Australia; and Ruth Stross, Head of Nursing at Neurology Academy in England. Hosted by Brett Drummond of MS Translate.

Long term use of disease modifying treatments (DMTs) poses challenges in terms of safety and pharmacoeconomics, while preventing disability progression. As such, there is an ongoing debate on how long disease modifying treatments should be continued and if discontinuation should be considered in stable multiple sclerosis.

In this episode, Alan Thompson, Editor in Chief of the MS Journal, speaks with Gilles Edan, Professor of Clinical Neurology and chair of the Department of Neurosciences, University Hospital of Rennes; and Eva Strijbis, neurologist at the Department of Neurology, MS Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers.

Listen to Clare Walton with MS Society UK and host Brett Drummond discuss the key takeways unveiled on the second day of MSMilan2023.

ECTRIMS Lecturer Dr. Stephen Hauser deep dives into the most relevant insights from day one of MSMilan2023, with host Brett Drummond.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments have been successfully added onto the World Health Organisation's Essential Medicines List (EML) in July 2023. Nick Rijke of the MS International Federation and Deanna Saylor of Johns Hopkins Hospital discuss the impact of this milestone and the next steps for clinicians, researchers, patients, and the MS community at large.

MS affects more women than men. Research on the reasons behind this, and if and how sex-specific processes may impact disease progression, and the symptoms experienced by women living with MS continue to expand.  In this episode, Rhonda Voskuhl of UCLA and Elisabeth Celius of University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital discuss these issues and more.

The development of global databases that record and store large amounts of clinical data for people living with MS has made a significant difference to the MS research world.  In this episode, we talk to Izanne Roos of the University of Melbourne and Cyrus Daruwalla of the University of Cambridge about the types of registries that currently exist, the importance of collecting observational data and how they used both in their research, which was presented as part of the late-breaking session at ECTRIMS 2022.

A longitudinal study published in 2022 found that infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) dramatically increased the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, suggesting that MS is likely caused by EBV. In this episode, Professor Alberto Ascherio of Harvard University, who led the study, discusses the findings and their preventative and therapeutic implications.

Everyone with MS should have access to the treatment and care that they need. Yet in 70% of countries, people face huge challenges in accessing disease modifying therapies (DMTs). Nick Rijke with the MS International Federation and Deanna Saylor of Johns Hopkins Hospital discuss a recent bid to add MS DMTs to the WHO's Essential Medicines List.

Tomas Kalincik, Head of the Clinical Outcomes Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, and Maria Pia Sormani, Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Genoa, discuss the use of real-world data to compare disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis, including the advantages and limitations of randomised control trials and observational studies. Hosted by Alan Thompson, Editor-in-Chief of the MS Journal and Professor at University College London. 

Will Brown and Alasdair Coles from University of Cambridge discuss remyelination in multiple sclerosis and a promising clinical trial that they are currently involved in. 

Tomas Kalincik, Head of the Clinical Outcomes Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, explains his research comparing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with existing treatments in relapsing and progressive MS. 

MS Patient Experts Jana Hlavacova with the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform Young People's Network and Helga Weiland, Vice Chair of MS South Africa discuss the involvement of people with MS in conducting research.

Dr. Brigit de Jong from Amsterdam UMC and Professor Alan Thompson from Queens Square Institute of Neurology in London discuss promising, new short-term research data for people with MS unveiled in October during ECTRIMS 2022.

Dr. Daniel Ontaneda from the Cleveland Clinic speaks about promising, new mid-term research data for people with MS unveiled during the October 2022 ECTRIMS Congress. 

This episode discusses a newly proposed initiative by the MS Clinical Trials Committee for a mechanism-driven framework to describe multiple sclerosis; with Daniel Reich from the National Institute of Mental Health, Tanja Kuhlmann from Münster University, and host Alan Thompson from the MS Journal.

Joelle Massouh from Harley Street Medical Centre and Piet Eelen from Nationaal MS Centrum talk about the key takeaways of the Nurse Sessions at ECTRIMS 2022, including how the role of the MS nurses has changed over the years, as well as why we need more MS nurses globally and what is being done about it.

Listen to ECTRIMS President Mar Tintoré wrap up the key takeaways from ECTRIMS 2022, as well as highlight what you can expect from ECTRIMS’ new 365 programme.

Listen to Timothy Coetzee – Chief Advocacy, Services & Science Officer at the National MS Society – discuss the most relevant insights from day two of ECTRIMS 2022.

Listen to Brenda Banwell – the ECTRIMS 2022 Keynote Lecturer – deep dive into the key takeaways of the first day of ECTRIMS 2022.

Welcome to the ECTRIMS podcast, the new sounding board for the MS research community.

Tune in on the 27th, 28th and 29th of October for the official debut of The ECTRIMS Podcast. Enjoy back-to-back episodes of each day of congress, and stay up to date on all the key happenings unfolding at the world’s largest international congress for MS research.