Revolutionizing Multiple Sclerosis Care: B-Cell Therapy

In a paradigm-shifting discovery, researchers uncovered that B cells, not T cells, wield significant influence on orchestrating neurological damage in MS. Join UCSF Professor Dr. Stephen Hauser as he shares the remarkable odyssey from hurdles to triumphs of developing B cell monoclonal antibody treatment for multiple sclerosis.  Disease impact, safety concerns and personalization of MS treatment of these medications including Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), Kesimpta (ofatumumab) and Briumvi (ublituximab) are highlighted.  Brain-penetrant BTK inhibitor therapies that may offer more direct targeting of B cells within the central nervous system, potentially unlocking new possibilities in treating progressive forms of MS. Professor Heinz Wiendl explores the connection between Epstein-Barr virus infection of B cells and the initiation and progression of MS including trials investigating strategies to target EBV-infected B cells. Pioneering approaches like CAR-T therapy and brain shuttle techniques provide optimism for the next generation of MS treatment. Barry Singer MD, Director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:  Stephen Hauser MD, Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences Heinz Wiendl MD, Professor of Neurology and Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital of Muenster in Germany