"We are moving from a negative era of despair to an era of hope and inspiration for people with MS" said Dr T Jock Murray, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, at the Don Paty Memorial Lecture on 18 September.

Hosted by the European Committee on Treatment and Research in MS, Montréal08 was the first joint meeting of ACTRIMS (the Americas Committee on Treatment and Research in MS) and its counterparts in Europe and Latin America: ECTRIMS and LACTRIMS.

The first day of the conference included international researchers showcasing their MS research and MS and the mind. Click here to read more.

Highlights from 18 September included MSIF and the World Health Organization launching the Atlas of MS report, new data on repairing MS damage, therapeutic approaches and data on children with MS. Click here to read more.

The 19 September featured new insights into risk factors, progress in the search for better treatments and a plenary session by Chris Polman, MD, (Free University, the Netherlands) that explored concepts related to what has been and can be learned from treating MS and its animal models. Click here to read more.

Late-breaking news and rehabilitation strategies were featured on 20 September. In addition, the Leonor Gold Memorial Lecture by Dr Fernando Caceres covered the history, promise and issues related to neurorehabilitation for treating cognitive dysfunction that results from MS. Click here to read more.

To view the complete list of presentations and abstracts visit www.msmontreal.org.