Research Insights Episodes

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...

Last week, over 7,000 MS researchers and clinicians from more than 100 countries traveled to Amsterdam to attend the 2022 ECTRIMS (European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis) Congress, the largest MS research conference in the world. As has become an annual ECTRIMS tradition on RealTalk MS, the National MS Society's Executive Vice-President of Research, Dr. Bruce Bebo, and I took up our vantage point on the steps right outside of the convention center to discuss the res...

It's flu season and that makes it an excellent time to talk about vaccines. People living with MS often have questions about whether a particular vaccine is good for them or whether it might carry with it the risk of a relapse or other negative health consequence. Dr. Lisa Doggett joins me to brief us on all things related to vaccines and MS. Dr. Doggett is a family doctor as well as the Senior Medical Director at HGS AxisPoint Health. She was a 2021-2022 American Academy of Family Physicians V...

Living with MS comes with its own set of sometimes significant challenges. But being in the dark, unaware of the noteworthy and remarkable advances being made in MS research is one challenge that we're learning to overcome. Sharon Roman is a patient-partner and writer for the British Medical Journal Group. Sharon lives with MS and she also writes a blog called Tremlett's MS Research Explained. The blog features plain-English posts detailing the research being done by Professor Helen Tremlett an...

The conversation between a doctor and patient is evolving from a time when that conversation was often limited to the doctor prescribing a particular disease-modifying medication and the patient silently nodding their head in agreement to something much more closely resembling a real conversation. Shared decision-making offers the patient an opportunity to discuss their treatment goals, explain their risk tolerance, and talk about their comfort level with side effects. But not every neurologis...

Women are roughly 3 times more likely to develop MS compared to men. But when men develop MS, they're more likely to experience a more aggressive disease course. Men are more likely to experience motor problems, loss of coordination and balance, and cognitive difficulties. When they experience a relapse, men are more likely to see their exacerbated symptoms continue, even during times of remission. Given these evidence-based observations, it seems sadly ironic that, as they develop MS symptoms,...

In last week's episode, we looked at talking with kids about MS. This week, we'll visit the opposite end of the spectrum as Dr. John Corboy discusses some of the things you'll want to think about as you age with MS. Dr. Corboy is a professor of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the Director of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Colorado. Dr. Corboy is also the Principal Investigator in a recently completed clinical trial that focused ...