How Close Are We Toward a Path to Cure Multiple Sclerosis? 

At the 2023 Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Milan, Dr. Stephen Hauser, Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), gave a lecture where he summarized the latest research on multiple sclerosis (MS). 

In his lecture, Dr. Hauser focused on advancements in genetics research on MS. Recent findings have shown that certain genetic markers may indicate MS onset, which could inform earlier treatment and potentially slow disease progression. These findings are promising but additional data are needed to better understand how these disease markers could inform clinical practice.

A greater understanding of the progressive drivers of MS, including the effects of long-term treatment on the immune system, may shed additional light on the multiple factors that determine the disease course. The ability to monitor these disease drivers, which include chronic active plaques, meningeal follicles/cortical lesions, and white matter change, as well as imaging biomarkers, could provide great benefits for clinicians.

“I think that it’s possible that MS could be the first autoimmune disease to be cured, and I think we have a chance to see this in our lifetime,” says Dr. Hauser. “We’re halfway home, but we’re not all the way there.”

Learn more about Dr. Hauser’s research and perspectives on MS.