Research Insights Episodes

Welcome to Part 1 of a special two-part RealTalk MS series highlighting conversations with past recipients of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research. The Barancik Prize is awarded at the annual meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, a meeting better known as the ACTRIMS Forum. Several past Barancik Prize winners gathered at the 2023 ACTRIMS Forum to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Barancik Prize, and I took that opportunity to chat wi...

You've told me that the subject of diet and MS is one of your top three interests. And a quick scan of social media platforms reveals that a lot of people living with MS agree! This week, Dr. Ilana Katz Sand, the Associate Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai, joins me with an update on what the latest research is revealing about the impact of diet on MS, and to answer that eternal question -- Is there an MS diet? We're also talking about the...

If you've listened to this podcast before, you already know that we avoid hype, and we stick to talking about evidence-based science. So, let me say right up front -- today, the cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. However, a research team has identified a bacterial toxin that may prove to be the cause of MS onset as well as MS relapses. Joining me for an exclusive conversation about this discovery is Dr. Timothy Vartanian, who leads the team that made the discovery, and Dr. Richard Rudick, ...

Last week in San Diego, the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis convened their annual meeting, the ACTRIMS Forum. One of the highlights of this meeting is the presentation of the Barancik Prize, awarded in recognition of exceptional innovation in MS research. This year's winner of the Barancik Prize is Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, a clinician scientist at the University of Manitoba. The Barancik Prize is administered by the National MS Society, and this year's award reco...

Two years ago, the National MS Society made a public commitment to do more to ensure that the MS movement was open to and reflective of everyone affected by MS. When you stop to consider issues like access to healthcare or MS clinical research, it quickly becomes apparent that diversity, equity, and inclusion aren't only organizational goals for the MS Society. They also address some of the systemic barriers that directly impact the quality of MS care for members of historically marginalized co...

Last week, in Episode 279 of RealTalk MS we talked with Professor Tanja Kuhlmann about a new framework for researching, diagnosing, and treating MS that was proposed by the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in Multiple Sclerosis. This proposed framework represents the next evolutionary step in diagnosing and treating MS. Joining me this week to talk about how this proposed framework will impact people living with MS is the National MS Society's Chief Advocacy, Services, and Sc...

Every episode of RealTalk MS features updates and reports about emerging science. And, as you listen, some of you may wonder, 'When will these scientific achievements benefit me? When will these breakthroughs and advancements make their way from the laboratory workbench to the clinic?' That's exactly what the panel of MS experts who comprise the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS are proposing in a new framework that leverages what scientists are continuing to learn and r...

When people ask me how I go about deciding who to interview for this podcast, my answer has always been the same. I look for difference-makers. People whose efforts are making a real difference in the MS community. They might be a researcher, clinician, rehabilitation specialist, MS Navigator, fundraiser...it's a long list. A difference-maker might also be someone who motivates and inspires all of us by the way they choose to embrace life. My favorite conversation this year was with just that k...

For me, the holiday season is a time for joy, celebration, and reflection. And when I reflect upon the advances in MS research that we've seen in the past year, it's hard not to feel encouraged. 2022 will be remembered as the year when the National MS Society published the Pathways to Cures research roadmap, a bold initiative focused on stopping MS progression, restoring lost function, and ending MS forever. I talked about this pivotal moment in the history of MS research with Dr. Carol Whitacr...

Some of you might remember that at the end of October, I was in Amsterdam, attending the 2022 ECTRIMS Congress. ECTRIMS is an acronym for the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, and their annual scientific congress is the largest MS research conference in the world. As the conference ended, I sat on some steps outside the conference center alongside the National MS Society's Executive Vice-President of Research, Dr. Bruce Bebo. And Dr. Bebo shared his initial imp...