Global webcast on ending MS progression
Research advances that could lead to breakthrough treatments in progressive MS
Last updated: 15th August 2023
If you missed the latest live-stream from the International Progressive MS Alliance, don’t worry you can catch up now!
Recorded live from the International Progressive MS Alliance Scientific Congress in Vienna, Austria, watch the recording to hear results from 17 innovative research projects funded by the Alliance. Each project is focused on unraveling the mystery of progression and identifying new targets for treatments that will ultimately slow or stop progression. A panel of international MS experts shared findings and insights that not only inspire hope but demonstrate real progress in ending progressive MS.
The International Progressive MS Alliance is a first-of-its-kind global research network aimed at accelerating the development of new, effective treatments for progressive MS. We are rallying the world through an unprecedented collaboration of MS organizations, researchers, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical companies, trusts, foundations, donors and people affected by MS. Our promise is more than hope; it is progress.
Catch up now!
Watch the webcast below and keep scrolling to read more about the host and expert panel. Click the settings toggle in the bottom right corner to watch the video with English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic or French subtitles.
Webcast Panel
Professor Robert Fox, MD is the Chair of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Progressive MS Alliance. He serves as Staff Neurologist at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Vice-Chair for Research at the Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, and Professor of Neurology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Dr Fox’s research interests focus on 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. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and books.
Professor Laura Airas is a clinician-scientist based in Turku, Finland. She is an MS specialist who consults at the Turku University Hospital Neurology clinic. She conducts research on progressive MS at Turku PET Centre. She has a special interest in elucidating the CNS pathology contributing to MS disease progression. Her research group uses a combination of advanced imaging, clinical phenotyping and soluble biomarker analysis to better understand the pathology leading to MS disability, with an overall aim to develop new efficient treatments for this undertreated condition.
Dr. Jessica Fletcher leads the Glial Cell Signalling Research Group at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania. Her research focus is on the contribution of non-neuronal brain cells (called glia) to the neurodegeneration that causes progressive disability in MS. The ultimate goal of this research is to apply this understanding to create new brain repair therapies that can be used to improve the lives of people with MS.
Host
Jon Strum is an advocate and champion for people affected by MS everywhere. He provided care for his wife who lived with progressive MS until her passing in 2020. He is volunteer leader for the National MS Society (U.S.); serving as a trustee of his local chapter, Chair of the California Government Relations Advisory Committee and a member of the Community Review of MS Research Committee. A communications professional, Jon is host of the RealTalk MS podcast. Since its launch in 2017, over 300 episodes of RealTalk MS have been downloaded more than 2,000,000 times by followers in over 100 countries. He is a past member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Progressive MS Alliance, ensuring the perspective and expertise of people affected by MS.