Accelerating life-changing treatments for people with progressive MS

New, life-changing treatments are urgently needed for people with progressive MS. A major obstacle is the lack of a quick way to detect whether a therapy is working, since progression can occur slowly. The search has been on for biomarkers that can predict disease activity and detect response to therapy.

We hosted an International Progressive MS Alliance webinar to discuss how artificial intelligence in MRIs and routine blood tests could result in biomarkers to predict disability and disease progression. The webcast is in English, with Arabic and Spanish subtitles. To change the subtitles, click the settings cog at the bottom right of the video.

About the panellists

Trishna Bharadia served as facilitator for the panel discussion. She is a multi-award winning advocate and patient engagement adviser living with multiple sclerosis in the United Kingdom. She works nationally and internationally to get the patient voice heard louder, stronger and more effectively throughout the healthcare journey. She serves as an Ambassador for the MS Society, UK and has been recognised by the UK Prime Ministers’ Office with a Points of Light Award.

Robert Fox, MD is a neurologist at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Vice-Chair for Research of the Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, United States. He is the incoming Chair of the International Progressive MS Alliance Scientific Steering Committee and leads its expert panel focused on fluid biomarkers. Dr. Fox’s research includes clinical trials in multiple sclerosis, innovative MRI techniques to evaluate tissue recovery after injury and the effects of MS treatments, as well as MS patient decision-making and tolerance to risk.

Douglas Arnold, MD is a Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, Canada, and Director of the Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Unit in the Brain Imaging Center at the Montreal Neurological Institute. He is the lead investigator in the International Progressive MS Alliance Collaborative Research Network focused on using artificial intelligence in MRIs to predict and measure progression in people with progressive MS. This research will accelerate clinical trials for new treatments and improve patient care.

Tal Arbel, PhD is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University, Canada, and the Research Director of the Probabilistic Vision Group, and Electrical & Computer Engineering “Medical Imaging Lab.” She is a co-investigator in the International Progressive MS Alliance Collaborative Research Network focused on using artificial intelligence in MRIs to predict and measure progression in people with progressive MS. Her research develops new probabilistic machine learning frameworks in computer vision and in medical imaging, particularly in the context of neurology and neurosurgery.