Seventh Annual CME/CNE Conference
Advances in MS Research and Practice: Breakthroughs and Emerging Evidence
Presented by Columbia University Medical Center
Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care and Research Center
Saturday, October 5, 2019
The New York Academy of Sciences
New York, NY
Archived, for viewing purposes only.

Purpose

Advances in the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) have reshaped the way clinicians and patients approach this disabling chronic disorder, which affects individuals in their most productive working and childbearing years and is a significant cause of disability. Today in 2019, management consists of first-generation agents and has expanded to include oral agents, as well as longer-acting formulations of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). In 2019, the first oral agent was approved for active secondary progressive MS as well as a selective immune reconstitution therapy for relapsing forms of MS. Thus, for the treating clinicians, although this broad and expanding therapeutic repertoire improves individualized management of MS, it also makes choices more complex and challenging.

For both general neurologists and MS specialists, fundamental appreciation of the immunopathology of MS will lead to a better understanding of the disease course and an appreciation of the emerging MS therapeutics that are now, more than ever, tailored to the intricacies of the immune system. Two decades of clinical experience with immunomodulatory treatments for MS point to distinct immunological pathways that drive disease relapses and progression.

In light of the current understanding of MS immunopathology, clinicians need to evaluate long-standing hypotheses regarding the role of the immune system in the disease and delineate key questions that although still unanswered but beginning to produce emerging evidence and novel treatments, as investigators study the opportunity to reset the immune system. Recent and anticipated advances in the field of immunology, and the increasing recognition of inflammation as an important component of neurodegeneration, are shaping the conceptualization of disease pathophysiology, encouraging clinicians to grasp the potential implications for improved healthcare delivery to their patients in the future.

Learning Objectives

After attending this conference, the learner will be able to:

• Highlight late-breaking and emerging data that have potential impact in the clinical management and diagnosis of MS
• Explain the immune-mediated mechanisms of MS that may serve as immune targets for therapeutic interventions
• Describe the immunological rationale, safety, and clinical data supporting an immune system reset
• Assess the importance of early diagnosis and treatment
• Employ strategies to assess and manage MS symptoms and comorbidities
• Summarize the concept of immunosenescence and the importance of vigilance in monitoring the risk of infections especially in older MS patients receiving immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive treatment
• Utilize strategies to diagnose comorbidities and improve mental health
• Review innovations in stem cell research that have potential in promoting myelin repair and slowing disease activity

Agenda Faculty

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