New Orleans – A “Lessons from the Bench” session at the meeting held by the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis addressed the ongoing debate regarding the relative importance of neurodegeneration vs. inflammation in progressive multiple sclerosis.
In an interview, session chair Dr. Benjamin Segal discussed the research presented – on topics ranging from immunological biomarkers that could also prove to be therapeutic targets, to immune- and central nervous system–related susceptibility alleles identified in genome wide association studies – and how the findings could lead to new and improved treatments.
“These types of studies give us insights into the immune pathways that are dysregulated in the different diseases and how they may be similar or different from one another. Ultimately all of these scientific studies hopefully will translate into treatments in the future,” said Dr. Segal of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.