Overview of Clinical Management, Therapeutic Strategies and Research Trends

Course Overview

The multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology field enjoyed a recent explosion of effective therapeutic options that are used to manage patients with this chronic and previously frequently disabling condition. While there is no cure for MS, disease modifying treatments (DMTs) reduce clinical and radiographic disease activity and delay MS progression to neurologic disability. However, with the increase in therapeutic options comes complexity of choices, and a true opportunity to practice personalized medicine, selecting the most appropriate, effective, and safe treatment choice for the patients. The need to initiate, stop or change DMTs depends on patients’ previous treatments, disease stability or progression, family planning needs, age, gender, and availability of therapies within their health insurance coverage. Special populations, such as children, older adults, and women in the reproductive planning phases of their lives have additional treatment considerations. Managing MS symptoms is important aspect of comprehensive MS care, as is non-pharmacologic approach to rehabilitation improvement of the overall quality of life. The research efforts in basic and clinical neuroimmunology have expanded our understanding of MS pathogenesis. Recent important contributions have focused on the effects of genetic predisposition and the microbiota on disease onset and progression, and the novel neuroimaging techniques and biomarker predictors of disease outcomes.

This CME program accredited by Harvard Medical School will present the most up-to-date clinical and research information relevant to health care providers who treat patients with multiple sclerosis. Through this initiative, participants will advance their knowledge and competence to provide excellent clinical care to patients with MS and will thoroughly improve their understanding of the recent and important research trends and results in this rapidly developing field. 

This course contains four sessions. Learners have the option of registering for the full course or registering for the four sessions individually.

Session information: 

• Session 1: Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Disorders: Differential Diagnosis
• Session 2: Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics
• Session 3: Ancillary Assessment Tools and Techniques in MS
• Session 4: Multiple Sclerosis: Special Populations and Considerations

Who Should Attend

• Nurse Practitioners
• Nurses
• Other
• Physician Assistants
• Primary Care Physicians
• Specialty Physicians
• Social Worker
• Clinician-Scientists

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Summarize the importance of early diagnosis and treatment initiation to achieve the “no evidence of disease activity” (NEDA) status among patients with MS.
• Become familiar with the classes of disease modifying therapies (DMTs) for MS, including the recently approved high efficacy treatments.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the latest data on the efficacy, safety, and dosing/administration of currently approved DMTs to develop optimal individualized treatment strategies for patients with MS.
• Evaluate potential benefits of emerging therapies in delaying disability, slowing disease progression, and improving long-term outcomes in MS.
• Describe the different special populations and treatment algorithms that are relevant to these groups (pediatric patients, older adults, women of reproductive potential actively pursuing pregnancy).
• Identify the current state of knowledge and recommendations for patients with MS during the COVID-19 pandemic, including registries, immune responses, vaccination caveats, and other treatment considerations.
• Recognize and develop effective treatment algorithms for symptom management in MS patients.
• Discuss the current research trends in neuro-immunology, specifically around the issues of outcome predictors, biomarkers, novel neuroimaging techniques, microbiota, and genetic markers.