Advances in Multiple Sclerosis: From Pathogenesis to Therapeutics

Dear Colleagues,

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and varying degrees of disability. Although remarkable progress in neuroimaging, biomarker discovery, and treatment has been achieved, significant challenges persist, including the lack of effective therapies to address compartmentalized or smouldering inflammation, which appears to drive disability accumulation even from the earliest stages of the disease.

The recent 2024 revision of the McDonald criteria introduces a biologically based definition of the disease and allows for an earlier diagnosis, even from the stage of radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), through advanced imaging sequences, novel biomarkers, and the inclusion of the optic nerve as a fifth topography. Novel therapies, including Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (BTKis), chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapies, and remyelination therapies, are being tested and hold promise for the near future.

This Special Issue, “Advances in Multiple Sclerosis: From Pathogenesis to Therapeutics”, focuses on the rapidly evolving landscape of MS. We invite researchers with contributions exploring all aspects of MS, including novel biomarkers of disease activity and progression, clinical and real-world evaluations of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), as well as innovative symptomatic and rehabilitative strategies. Special attention will be given to studies addressing smouldering disease mechanisms, including the role of microglia, and to those examining clinical, radiological, and biochemical outcomes for the assessment of CNS compartmentalized inflammation.

Through cutting-edge research, this Special Issue aims to advance both knowledge and practice in MS by bridging pathophysiological, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of the disease. Authors are welcome to submit original articles, reports on novel treatment strategies and advances in decision making, clinical outcome studies, comparative studies, narrative reviews, scoping reviews and systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Sclerosis.

Prof. Dr. Dimos D. Mitsikostas
Guest Editor

Dr. Panagiotis Gklinos
Guest Editor Assistant

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• multiple sclerosis
• biomarkers
• imaging
• McDonald 2024 criteria
• disease-modifying therapies
• smoldering disease
• progression independent of relapse activity
• remyelination
• microglia
• clinical research