Research Insights Episodes

Now that Harvard researchers have presented compelling evidence that MS is triggered by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), what does it mean in terms of ending MS in the world? What does it mean for people already living with MS? And how will this announcement impact MS research? Joining me to unpack the details and implications of this research breakthrough is the Executive Vice-President of Research for the National MS Society, Dr. Bruce Bebo. We're also talking about new research from Stanford U...

Last week, a research team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health presented compelling evidence that the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) triggers multiple sclerosis. So, we're taking a deep dive into the role of EBV and MS. We'll review the breakthrough results of this research and we'll re-share our conversation with one of the researchers in this game-changing study. We'll review the status of an experimental cell therapy that's designed to remove the EBV virus from infected b-cells in pe...

This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by EMD Serono and MS in the 21st Century. Cognitive impairment affects more than 50% of the people living with MS. In this special episode of RealTalk MS, we're talking with Dr. Sarah Morrow and Paola Kruger about how people living with MS can work together with their healthcare providers to develop a constructive dialogue about cognition and MS. Dr. Sarah Morrow is an Associate Professor of Neurology in the Department of Clinical Neurological S...

Before the availability of MRI technology in the 1980s, MS was frequently misdiagnosed or even missed completely. Today, an MRI exam is a valuable tool in diagnosing MS, following disease progression, and evaluating someone's response to their MS treatment. Recently, a team of international experts updated the MRI recommendations for people living with MS. Dr. Scott Newsome, a member of that expert panel, is joining me today to talk about some of those recommendations and to help us understand ...

We met Dr. AJ Joshi, Chief Medical Officer at Atara Biotherapeutics, at ECTRMS 2019, when he gave us our first update on ATA 188, Atara's investigational cell therapy for MS. This is the third year in a row that we've connected with Dr. Joshi during ECTRIMS for an update on the progress of ATA 188. This year, he's also sharing news about an unexpected discovery that investigators encountered during their Phase 1 clinical trial (HINT: It's a pretty interesting discovery!) We'll get an advocacy ...

Just a couple of weeks ago, 9,000 MS research scientists and clinicians from 100 countries gathered virtually for the annual meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, otherwise known as ECTRIMS. The largest MS research conference in the world lived up to its name, featuring 200 speakers and 1,700 research abstracts. In what has become an annual RealTalk MS tradition, Dr. Bruce Bebo, the Executive Vice President of Research at the National MS Society, jo...

Research shows that more than 50% of the people living with MS will experience another chronic health condition in their lifetime. These additional health conditions, known as comorbidities, have been shown to negatively affect disability progression and health-related quality of life. In other words, living with comorbidities makes living with MS more challenging than it has to be. Joining me to talk about living with MS while managing and even avoiding comorbidities is Dr. Alissa Willis, Chai...

After reviewing evidence on the use of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, the National MS Society has concluded that aHSCT is a good treatment option for some people living with MS. Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, the Director of the Cleveland Clinic's Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, joins me this week to share all the details about aHSCT and explain who is and who isn't an ideal candidate for this treatment. We'l...

This special episode of RealTalk MS is sponsored by EMD Serono and MS in the 21st Century. It's often said that MS doesn't just affect individuals, it affects families. And in this special episode of RealTalk MS, we're talking about family involvement in MS care with Dr. Alice Laroni and Trishna Bharadia. Dr. Laroni is a neurologist with over 18 years of experience providing clinical care to MS patients and more than 13 years of experience in neuroimmunological research. Dr. Laroni is also an ...

If you're on an MS disease-modifying therapy and you're concerned about how effective your COVID-19 vaccination might be, or you aren't sure whether having MS qualifies you as being immunocompromised and cleared to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, or you can't begin to figure out whether you qualify to receive a COVID-19 booster, then this podcast episode is for you. Joining me to help us make sense of the flurry of recent announcements by the CDC and provide us with an update on h...