COPENHAGEN—The European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) is meeting for its 29th Annual Congress in Copenhagen from October 2 to 5. Conference organizers estimate approximately 8,000 participants are attending, making it the world’s premier conference on the science, research, and management of MS.
“I am very pleased about the development of our Congress,” said ECTRIMS President Maria Trojano, MD. The ECTRIMS meeting “has indisputably become the number one international event, as reflected in the record number of submissions from non-European countries and in participant registrations,” she said.
This year’s ECTRIMS Congress features four days of scientific sessions and includes more than 1,000 presentations selected from 1,500 abstracts submitted. The number of abstracts submitted this year represents a 10% increase over last year’s number. The conference program features 29 oral sessions, 14 teaching courses, and 12 satellite symposiums. Thirty companies are exhibiting at the meeting.
Topics that were discussed included genetics and gender differences in MS, including a possible explanation for the increase in women with MS over the past several decades. Also discussed were the mechanism of inflammation and tissue damage and the subsequent remyelination, as well as new scanning techniques for imaging the brain.
Several sessions were devoted to state-of-the-art management of MS with new and future treatments. Treatment of progressive forms of MS was also covered. This year’s ECTRIMS Congress is held in conjunction with the 18th Annual Conference of Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RIMS). This joint sponsorship brings opportunities to discuss neuropsychologic challenges and progress in MS rehabilitation. Another special feature of this year’s meeting was the debut of two sessions developed with and for nurses, focusing on how to support families affected by MS.
Hot topics at ECTRIMS 2013 included gene environment interactions, micro RNA, and the effect of the gut microbiome on the susceptibility to MS. A session focused on functional imaging, and researchers debated on whether immunomodulatory treatment can change the natural history of MS.
The 2013 meeting marks the second time that Copenhagen has hosted an ECTRIMS Congress. To commemorate the event, the opening ceremony included a welcome address given by Her Majesty Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark.
—Glenn S. Williams
Vice President/Group Editor