NYAS Conference on MS to Explore Emerging Diagnostics and Treatment Options
An upcoming conference willĀ explore new and emerging treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS), focusing on the intersection between laboratory findings and clinical care, and the search for discoveriesĀ that mayĀ lead to importantĀ innovations in treatingĀ this neurological disease.
The daylong conference, open to academics, clinical researchers and industry leaders, is hosted by theĀ New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), andĀ titled āMultiple Sclerosis: Diagnostic and Treatment Frontiers.ā ItĀ will take placeĀ onĀ June 28 at NYAS offices in Manhattan.Ā Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.Ā is a main event sponsor.
Plenary sessions will coverĀ current therapies; MS diagnostics, prognostics and predictive biomarkers; the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to diagnose and monitor patients; and emergingĀ treatment data. A session on “Late-breaking Data Blitz Presentations,” looking at myelin-reactive T-cells and axonal damage, is also planned. Details on each session are available through this NYAS link.
Barry G. Arnason, MD, the James Nelson and Anna Louise Raymond Professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago will open the morning session with a 9 a.m.Ā keynote address, titled āUnmet Treatment Needs across the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Disease Spectrum.ā
Dr. Arnason has studied immunologic aspects of MS for 50 years, including T-cell function and nervous system-immune system interactions in MS patients and animal models. He has also participated in several clinical trials, including the pivotal studyĀ of Betaseron (interferon beta 1b), the first drug approved for the treatment of relapsing MS. Dr. Arnason was the recipient of the 2014 John Dystel Prize for his contributions to MS research, and has authored nearly 400 scientific publications, most of them related to MS.
Currently, researchers are working to identifyĀ biomarkers associated with MS to understand better the mechanisms behind disease development. Experts will alsoĀ discuss technological advancements that mightĀ help to translate disease data into personalized treatments to slow disease progression.
“The major unmet need for multiple sclerosis treatment for progressive course is the necessity to understand the pathophysiology mechanism underlining the degenerative phase of the disease, which are probably multiple, including mitochondrial dysfunction, persisting demyelination, ionic channels abnormalities, and microglial activation,” Professor Giancarlo Comi, director of the Department of Neurology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, in Milan, Italy, and a conference speaker, said in a press release.
The conference will end with the panel discussion, āWhat the Future Holds: New Strategies, Perspectives, and Resolving Misconceptions,ā featuringĀ Dr.Ā Arnason, Dr.Ā Comi, and Susan A. Gauthier, DO, MPH, atĀ Weill Cornell Medical College. Fred D. Lublin, MD, withĀ the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is the session’s moderator.
Sessions may also be followed through a webinar. Registration is required to attend the conference or take part in the webinar, and can be done usingĀ the NYAS link given above.
NYAS is an independent nonprofit organizationĀ withĀ more than 20,000 members in 100 countries, established in 1817 toĀ advance science, technology, and society worldwide.