ACTRIMS Forum Takeaways and Unmet Needs in Multiple Sclerosis: Bruce Bebo, PhD

WATCH TIME: 3 minutes

“There's already a lot of excitement around the potential of identifying people at high risk for MS during this prodromal phase, and certainly biomarkers are going to be a key piece to that.”

The theme of this year’s Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, February 24-26, in West Palm Beach, Florida, is Biomarkers in MS, highlighting a key area of ongoing research for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and in monitoring patients’ response to therapy. Bruce Bebo, PhD, executive vice president, National MS Society, sat down with NeurologyLive^® to discuss his thoughts on the ACTRIMS Forum 2022, noting that biomarkers also have the potential to impact diagnostic criteria for MS and move experts closer to “precision medicine” in the field.Further, understanding the role of biomarkers may also assist in recognizing MS in earlier stages, notably the prodromal stage.

When asked about the areas of unmet need in MS, Bebo noted that althoughthere has been progress made for treatment of relapsing forms of the disease, there is need to further investigate disease-modifying approaches to progressive forms of MS. Identifying those that are at risk of developing MS is another area, with health care professionals (HCPs) then incorporating wellness activities or disease modification strategies if they are able to identify those who are most likely to develop the disease. While there are ongoing clinical prevention trials in conditions like Parkinson disease and rheumatoid arthritis, Bebo said, research efforts are moving the field closer to applying this strategy in MS as well.

For more coverage of ACTRIMS Forum 2022, click here.