The ECTRIMS Podcast

Does the Label Given to My MS Disease Course Matter?

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How much do the labels used to describe multiple sclerosis actually reflect the lived experience of people affected by the disease? In this first epi...

Rehabilitation in MS and the Case for Early Intervention

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Rehabilitation is more than exercise – it is a personalised process of learning and adaptation that empowers people living with MS to maximise in...

Fenebrutinib in PPMS: Insights from ACTRIMS Forum 2026

07 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Clinical trial results unveiled today at ACTRIMS Forum 2026 suggest that fenebrutinib may be a novel and effective treatment option for people livin...

Harnessing the Gut Microbiome in MS: From Insight to Intervention

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What role does the gut microbiome play in multiple sclerosis — and how close are we to translating microbiome research into meaningful clinical int...

How well are we measuring cognition in MS?

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cognitive change is one of the most common—and most misunderstood—symptoms of multiple sclerosis. In this episode, host Brett Drummond speaks wit...

MS Nursing: Listening, Leadership, and the Role of AI in Patient Care

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At every stage of the MS journey, nurses are the steady link between patients, families, and the healthcare team. In this episode, host Brett Drummon...

Why We Need to Talk More About Mental Health in MS

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While much of MS care focuses on physical symptoms, mental health challenges—like depression, anxiety, loneliness, and stigma—often go under-reco...

Patient Community Day 2025

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Patient Community Day 2025 set a new attendance record, highlighting the growing desire among people living with MS to connect with experts leading t...

Positive Remyelination Trial Results: Late Breaking at ECTRIMS 2025

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At the late breaking abstracts session at ECTRIMS 2025 in Barcelona, the CCMR-Two trial revealed promising results for myelin repair in MS using the d...

Final Day Highlights of ECTRIMS 2025

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the final day of ECTRIMS 2025 in Barcelona, the spotlight turned to MS treatment, including long-awaited clinical trial results. Dr. Sharmilee Gna...

Day 2 Highlights of ECTRIMS 2025

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Barry Singer, Director and Founder of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, joins host Brett Drummond to discuss the key takeaways unveiled on th...

Day 1 Highlights of ECTRIMS 2025

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The 41st Congress of ECTRIMS opened in Barcelona with Professor Maria Pia Amato of the University of Florence delivering the ECTRIMS Lecture. In this ...

Pre-Day Highlights of ECTRIMS 2025

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Direct from Barcelona, listen to Alvaro Cobo Calvo from the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia (Cemcat) and host Brett Drummond discuss the highli...

2024 Revisions of the McDonald Diagnostic Criteria: What Neurologists Need to Know

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The 2024 Revisions of the McDonald Diagnostic Criteria for MS have been published in The Lancet Neurology. What do these changes mean for clinical pra...

Genetics and MS: Recent Discoveries and Future Directions

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Genetics not only influence the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), but also affect how the disease progresses and how patients respond to dif...

The Expanding Role of Patient-Reported Outcomes in MS Research

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become a critical tool for capturing the lived experience of multiple sclerosis (MS), offering a perspective tha...

Biomarkers in MS

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Biomarkers are one of the most exciting and fast-evolving areas in multiple sclerosis research, offering promise for earlier diagnosis, accurate progn...

BTK Inhibitors: The Tolebrutinib Trial Results

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few years, the MS research community has been following developments in a new class of therapies called Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibit...

The Role of Diet in Managing MS

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do the latest research findings tell us about the role diet can play in the management of multiple sclerosis (MS)? How should neurologists talk a...

Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for MS

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) has gained considerable attention in recent years as a treatment option for multiple scle...

How Real-World Data Is Shaping MS Treatment

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The rise of multiple sclerosis (MS) registries worldwide has transformed MS research, providing access to vast clinical data spanning years. This deve...

Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fatigue is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, significantly impacting the quality of life of people living with the disease. In this episode, Dr....

Advancing MS Knowledge through the ECTRIMS Fellowship

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The recent ECTRIMS 2024 in Copenhagen showcased the work of young scientific investigators, including this year's ECTRIMS Fellowship recipients Oscar ...

Addressing Diversity in MS Research and Care

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly three million people worldwide are living with multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting individuals from diverse geographical, ethnic, racial, and so...

Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While paediatric onset multiple sclerosis is relatively rare, it presents unique challenges. Extensive research efforts are taking place around the wo...

MS Prodrome: Implications and Future Research Directions

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you talk to someone living with MS about their journey, one of the first things they will tell you is that they knew something was wrong long befor...

Episode 37: Future MS Therapeutics

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Significant progress has been made in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments over the past 20 years. What does the next 20 years hold for MS therapies? Wh...

MS Nurses at ECTRIMS 2024

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nurses play a specialised and unique role in the journey of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). At ECTRIMS 2024, MS nurses showcased their exp...

Patient Community Day Highlights of ECTRIMS 2024: Part II

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Patient Community Day of ECTRIMS 2024 brought together people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), medical professionals, researchers, and advocat...

Patient Community Day Highlights of ECTRIMS 2024: Part I

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Patient Community Day of ECTRIMS 2024 brought together people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), medical professionals, researchers, and advocat...

Day 3 Highlights of ECTRIMS 2024

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former ECTRIMS President and MS Journal Editor-in-Chief Alan Thompson and host Brett Drummond wrap up the last day of ECTRIMS 2024 with their final th...

Day 2 Highlights of ECTRIMS 2024

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anne Helme, Head of Research at MSIF, and host Brett Drummond discuss the key takeaways unveiled on the second day of ECTRIMS 2024 in Copenhagen, as w...

Day 1 Highlights of ECTRIMS 2024

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

ECTRIMS Vice President Bruno Stankoff highlights the most relevant insights from day one of ECTRIMS 2024 in Copenhagen, and provides a glimpse of what...

Pre-Day Highlights of ECTRIMS 2024

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to Romain Marignier from CHU de Lyon and host Brett Drummond discuss highlights of ECTRIMS' new Pre-Day on NMOSD, MOGAD, and other rare neurolo...

Episode 35: NMOSD and MOGAD Part II

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Misdiagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) is not uncommon. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody...

Episode 35: NMOSD and MOGAD Part I

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Misdiagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) is not uncommon. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody...

ECTRIMS-EAN Vaccination Consensus Statement (eanCast)

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The following episode has been produced by the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in collaboration with the European Committee for Treatment and Rese...

Environmental, Genetic, and Epigenetic Risk Factors in MS

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex and multifaceted neurological disorder. While MS has a genetic component, it is not a classic genetic disease. ...

Myelin plasticity and repair

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The next major step forward in the management of MS involves finding treatments that can repair damaged myelin. If successful, it would offer the pot...

Lifestyle Modifications in MS

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

People living with MS want to be able to improve their quality of life and take control of a disease that is often filled with uncertainty. In this sp...

The Impact of Ageing on MS

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While multiple sclerosis (MS) has been traditionally described as a disease of young adults, the significant improvements in treatments over the past ...

Artificial Intelligence in MS Research

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a powerful tool to help enhance our understanding of MS disease processes, improve our diagnostic accuracy, bette...

Prioritising Women's Health Topics in MS Research

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a landscape where funding is increasingly difficult to obtain, the importance of conducting research that has the greatest impact has never been mo...

Spotlight on Young MS Researchers

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The ECTRIMS Congress offers a valuable opportunity for young researchers to gain experience and exposure. Joonas Lehikoinen from Helsinki University ...

MS in the Black Community

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With the growing push towards taking a more personalised approach to the treatment and management of multiple sclerosis, it is important to understand...

Efforts Towards a Better MS Diagnostic Criteria

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Discussions are ongoing to change the way MS patients are diagnosed and treated. In this episode,  Xavier Montalban, Chair of the International Advis...

Factoring in Female Health in the MS Journey

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recent global epidemiological data show that approximately 70% of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis are women.  While this may tell us somethi...

The Importance of Patient Community Day

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The MSMilan Patient Community Day was designed for people living with multiple sclerosis and related neurological diseases and their caregivers to sta...

Genetics and MS Severity

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) continue to run marathons while others are in wheelchairs years after diagnosis? Genetics partly expla...

Defining MS Subtypes in Clinical Practice

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Descriptors of multiple sclerosis are currently based on a combination of clinical and MRI features, and include clinically isolated syndrome, relaps...

The Changing Role of MS Nurses

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two sessions at the 9th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting (MSMilan2023) focused on nursing. Nurses play a critical role throughout an MS patient's life. A...

Discontinuing DMTs in Patients with Stable Relapsing-remitting MS: When and How?

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Long term use of disease modifying treatments (DMTs) poses challenges in terms of safety and pharmacoeconomics, while preventing disability progressio...

Day Three Highlights of MSMilan2023

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Day Two Highlights of MSMilan2023

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to Clare Walton with MS Society UK and host Brett Drummond discuss the key takeways unveiled on the second day of MSMilan2023.

Day One Highlights of MSMilan2023

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ECTRIMS Lecturer Dr. Stephen Hauser deep dives into the most relevant insights from day one of MSMilan2023, with host Brett Drummond.

Behind the landmark WHO decision on essential medicines for MS

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments have been successfully added onto the World Health Organisation's Essential Medicines List (EML) in July 2023. Nick...

Women with MS

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

MS affects more women than men. Research on the reasons behind this, and if and how sex-specific processes may impact disease progression, and the sym...

Utilising Global Data Registries for MS Research

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The development of global databases that record and store large amounts of clinical data for people living with MS has made a significant difference ...

Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A longitudinal study published in 2022 found that infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) dramatically increased the risk of developing multiple s...

Access For All: Adding MS DMTs to the WHO Essential Medicines List

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone with MS should have access to the treatment and care that they need. Yet in 70% of countries, people face huge challenges in accessing diseas...

Using Real-World Studies to Compare DMTs in MS

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tomas Kalincik, Head of the Clinical Outcomes Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, and Maria Pia Sormani, Professor of Biostatistics at the U...

Remyelination in MS: a New Clinical Trial

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Will Brown and Alasdair Coles from University of Cambridge discuss remyelination in multiple sclerosis and a promising clinical trial that they are cu...

Stem Cell Research in Multiple Sclerosis

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tomas Kalincik, Head of the Clinical Outcomes Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, explains his research comparing hematopoietic stem cell t...

ECTRIMS 2022 For People with MS: Part 3

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

MS Patient Experts Jana Hlavacova with the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform Young People's Network and Helga Weiland, Vice Chair of MS South Afric...

ECTRIMS 2022 For People with MS: Part 2

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Brigit de Jong from Amsterdam UMC and Professor Alan Thompson from Queens Square Institute of Neurology in London discuss promising, new short-ter...

ECTRIMS 2022 For People with MS: Part 1

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Daniel Ontaneda from the Cleveland Clinic speaks about promising, new mid-term research data for people with MS unveiled during the October 2022 E...

Rethinking how different types of MS are described

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode discusses a newly proposed initiative by the MS Clinical Trials Committee for a mechanism-driven framework to describe multiple sclerosis...

The role of the MS nurse & the need for more globally: an ECTRIMS 2022 recap

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joelle Massouh from Harley Street Medical Centre and Piet Eelen from Nationaal MS Centrum talk about the key takeaways of the Nurse Sessions at ECT...

ECTRIMS 2022 Wrap-up

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to ECTRIMS President Mar Tintoré wrap up the key takeaways from ECTRIMS 2022, as well as highlight what you can expect from ECTRIMS' new 365 p...

Day Two Highlights of ECTRIMS 2022

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to Timothy Coetzee – Chief Advocacy, Services & Science Officer at the National MS Society – discuss the most relevant insights from day tw...

Day One Highlights of ECTRIMS 2022

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to Brenda Banwell – the ECTRIMS 2022 Keynote Lecturer – deep dive into the key takeaways of the first day of ECTRIMS 2022.

NEW! The ECTRIMS Podcast

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the ECTRIMS podcast, the new sounding board for the MS research community. Tune in on the 27th, 28th and 29th of October for the official d...