ACTRIMS Forum Insider

Welcome to the official podcast of the Americas Committee for Treatment & Research in Multiple Sclerosis 2026 Forum! Join us on February 6th, 7th, and 8th for interviews with experts and young investigators, featuring highlights from the previous day's Forum presentations. 

After a full day of remarkable presentations, I had an opportunity to chat with Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, who kicked off this year's ACTRIMS Forum, delivering the Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture. During our conversation, Dr. Cohen reflected on what he continues to learn about autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or AHSCT. One thing that really sets the ACTRIMS Forum apart is the presence of young investigators who are not only here in attendance but are also here presenting their research and getting some of their own questions answered about how to take those important next steps in their careers. At the end of Day One, I had an opportunity to meet Dr. Haritha Desu, a young investigator whom I had seen earlier in the day, presenting her research. Dr. Desu and I discussed her research, and I also asked her about the opportunity the ACTRIMS Forum offers to young investigators. Join us tomorrow, when we recap Day Two of the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum!   For more information about the ACTRIMS Forum, please visit actrims.org.  

Early in Day Two of the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum, Dr. Manuel Friese, this year's winner of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research, delivered the Barancik Prize lecture titled Decoding Neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis. It was a fascinating presentation, followed by Dr. Friese's talk on Pregnancy-Inspired Mechanisms of Inflammation Control in Multiple Sclerosis, as part of a session focused on emerging biologies in MS.   Later in the day, I caught up with Dr. Friese, and we talked about his work in the lab and in the clinic.   Dr. Ilana Katz Sand closed out Day Two by presenting her research on Diet, Leukocyte Telomere Length, and Disability in MS, as part of a session on cutting-edge developments. I had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Katz Sand about her research and the role that diet plays in managing MS. Join us tomorrow, when we recap the final day of the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum! For more information about the ACTRIMS Forum, please visit actrims.org.  

The third and final day of the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum began with a Symposium hosted by the European Charcot Foundation, titled Dyanmics in MS Across the Lifespan.   Next, we transitioned to a session focused on Rethinking MS Clinical Course Descriptors, co-chaired by Kathy Smith. As someone who has lived with MS for over 20 years, Kathy brings a vital voice and a critical perspective to this topic. And I caught up with her immediately after the session to discuss a fundamental question: are the labels we currently use to describe MS still useful? During the final and highly anticipated session of Day 3, Principal Investigators from four different clinical trials shared their results. Dr. Amit Bar-Or reported on two trials: first, the Week 12 results from MoonStone, the phase 2 clinical trial for Obexilimab. And then, returning to the podium to share the results of the Phase 3 Fentrepid study, which compared the BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib with Ocrevus among people with Primary Progressive MS. As you might imagine, I was looking forward to talking with Dr. Bar-Or directly following his presentation. For more information about the ACTRIMS Forum, please visit actrims.org.