Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Forum 2025

ACTRIMS Forum 2025 | Multiple Sclerosis, Neuroimmunology, Neuroimaging, Remyelination, BTK Inhibitors, MOGAD, NMOSD & Machine Learning

The Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Forum 2025 (ACTRIMS Forum 2025) is a major North American scientific and clinical meeting dedicated to advancing the understanding, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and related neuroinflammatory and demyelinating disorders.

Held from February 27 through March 1, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida, the 10th annual ACTRIMS Forum was organized around the theme “Making Connections.”

The scientific program examined connections within the brain, between the central nervous system and the rest of the body, and across the MS clinical and research community.

Through a single-track program of scientific presentations, clinical discussions, cutting-edge research, poster sessions, and collaborative symposia, international experts explored important advances in MS pathology, aging, neuroimaging, visual pathways, remyelination, neuroprotection, machine learning, disease-modifying therapies, smoldering neuroinflammation, MOG antibody-associated disease, NMOSD, biomarkers, and personalized MS care.

Course Details

• Course: Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Forum 2025
• Common Name: ACTRIMS Forum 2025
• Provider: Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS)
• Dates: February 27 – March 1, 2025
• Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
• Venues: Palm Beach County Convention Center and Hilton West Palm Beach
• Theme: Making Connections
• Meeting Edition: 10th Annual ACTRIMS Forum
• Primary Specialty: Neurology
• Subspecialty: Multiple Sclerosis / Neuroimmunology
• Format: In-Person + Virtual Access
• Scientific Structure: Single-Track Scientific and Clinical Program
• Poster Presentations: More than 500
• Session Recordings: Recorded for registrants and later ACTRIMS LearnMS availability

Target Audience

The ACTRIMS Forum 2025 is intended for healthcare professionals and investigators involved in MS, neuroimmunology, demyelinating disease, and translational neuroscience.

It is particularly relevant for:

• Neurologists
• Multiple Sclerosis Specialists
• Neuroimmunologists
• Neuro-Ophthalmologists
• Neuroradiologists
• Geriatricians
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialists
• Neuroscientists
• Immunology Researchers
• Translational Researchers
• Clinical Researchers
• Physician Assistants
• Nurse Practitioners
• Specialized Neurology Nurses
• Fellows
• Residents
• Medical Students
• Postdoctoral Researchers

The program is especially valuable for clinicians and researchers seeking deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying MS progression and how emerging scientific findings may influence clinical care.

Program Overview

Multiple sclerosis is increasingly understood as a disorder involving complex interactions between:

• Immune activity
• CNS structure
• Functional brain networks
• Neurodegeneration
• Myelin injury
• Aging
• Systemic biology
• Genetic susceptibility
• Environmental factors
• Treatment response

The ACTRIMS Forum 2025 approaches these interactions through the concept of connectivity.

The program explores how neurological function depends not only on individual lesions but also on the integrity of interconnected structural and functional networks.

It also examines the connections between the CNS, peripheral immune system, gut-brain axis, visual system, aging biology, and emerging computational models of disease.

Learning Objectives

After completing this educational activity, participants should be better able to:

• Evaluate structural, functional, and visual pathway connectivity to understand disease progression, axonal loss, and visual deficits in multiple sclerosis and related disorders.
• Apply advanced multimodal neuroimaging techniques to assess brain network disruption, microstructural injury, and treatment response in MS.
• Analyze the relationship between chronological aging, biological aging, immune changes, and progressive disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis.
• Integrate modern disease-modifying therapy strategies, including high-efficacy treatment approaches, treatment timing, and therapeutic sequencing, into long-term MS management.
• Describe mechanisms contributing to chronic or smoldering neuroinflammation and evaluate emerging targeted therapeutic strategies.
• Understand the evolving role of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition in multiple sclerosis.
• Differentiate MS from other CNS demyelinating disorders, including MOG antibody-associated disease.
• Review evolving approaches to NMOSD treatment and therapeutic transitions.
• Assess the clinical and research applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in multiple sclerosis.
• Explain emerging concepts in remyelination, neuroprotection, axonal preservation, and repair.

Official Scientific Theme – Making Connections

The 2025 Forum theme, Making Connections, was designed around several levels of neurological and scientific connectivity.

These include:

Connections Within the Brain

Understanding how MS disrupts structural and functional neural networks.

Connections Between the Brain and the Body

Exploring immune, metabolic, aging, and systemic influences on CNS disease.

Connections Across the MS Community

Bringing together clinicians, researchers, trainees, and multidisciplinary specialists to translate scientific findings into better patient care.

Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture

Neuroimmune Interactions: How Past Lessons Can Inform the Present and Future of MS Care

Jack Antel – McGill University

The 2025 Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture examined how historical discoveries in neuroimmunology can inform current and future approaches to MS research and clinical care.

The session emphasized the continuing importance of understanding interactions between immune mechanisms and the nervous system.

Session 1 – Emerging Concepts in MS

This Young Investigator session highlighted emerging biological mechanisms, biomarkers, and treatment concepts.

Official presentations included:

PRL Burden and Compartmentalized Inflammation

Simon Thebault – University of Pennsylvania

Examined associations between paramagnetic rim lesion burden and immune-cell measures in CSF and blood that may reflect compartmentalized inflammation.

Homeostatic Th17 Cell Regulation

Dandan Yang – Harvard University

Explored cellular mechanisms regulating Th17 biology.

Cortical Lesions in MS

Charidimos Tsagkas – National Institutes of Health

Examined perivenular patterns of cortical lesions using ultra-high-field imaging and histopathology.

Stem Cells and Neuroinflammation

Yingying Chang – Tianjin Medical University

Presented experimental research examining the effects of human dental pulp stem cells on neuroinflammation.

Blood-Based Biomarkers for Preclinical MS

Yuan Ding – McGill University

Explored genetic and proteomic approaches to identifying possible biomarkers before established clinical disease.

Age-Dependent MS Progression

Kevin Champagne-Jorgensen – University of Toronto

Presented proteomic signatures associated with age-dependent progression in experimental inflammatory demyelination.

BTK Inhibition & Smoldering Neuroinflammation

A major theme surrounding ACTRIMS 2025 was the growing interest in Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors as a potential strategy for targeting persistent or smoldering inflammatory activity in MS.

A dedicated symposium focused on:

BTK Inhibition as an MS Treatment Strategy: Targeting Smoldering Neuroinflammation

This reflects increasing interest in inflammatory processes that may persist behind a relatively intact blood-brain barrier and contribute to progression independent of obvious relapses.

High-Efficacy Disease-Modifying Therapy Strategies

Another dedicated symposium addressed:

Navigating and Pioneering High-Efficacy DMT Strategies: Optimizing Patient Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis

Important clinical questions include:

• When to initiate high-efficacy therapy
• Escalation versus early intensive therapy
• Treatment sequencing
• Long-term disease control
• Safety monitoring
• Treatment switching
• Balancing efficacy and risk

Visual Pathway Symposium

Connections Along and Beyond the Visual Pathway

The visual system provides an important model for studying neurodegeneration and neurological connectivity in multiple sclerosis.

The program included:

Connections Along the Visual Pathway: Insights Into Neurodegeneration

Sara Collorone – University College London

Seeing Beyond the Eye: Advanced Retinal Imaging

Dan Milea – Singapore Eye Research Institute

Reviewed advanced retinal imaging for differential diagnosis and disease prognosis.

Histopathologic Comparison of Human Optic Nerves

Oliver Gramlich – University of Iowa

Inter-Eye Retinal Layer Thickness Differences

Ting-Yi Lin – Johns Hopkins

Explored retinal measurements as evidence of optic nerve involvement.

Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Ophthalmoscopy

Daniel Markowitz – Thomas Jefferson University

Examined FLIO as a potential retinal metabolic biomarker in relapsing and secondary progressive MS.

Connecting Aging to MS Pathology & Progression

A major official session examined how biological and chronological aging influence MS pathology, immune function, treatment response, and progression.

MRI Assessment of Biological Age in MS

Erin Beck – Mount Sinai

Explored imaging-based approaches to quantifying biological aging in patients with MS.

Deleterious Aging in MS Driven by T Cells

Nathalie Arbour – University of Montreal

Examined immune mechanisms linking aging and disease progression.

Impact of Aging on the Gut-Brain Axis in Neuroinflammation

Lisa Osborne – University of British Columbia

Explored how age-related changes in systemic and intestinal biology may influence neuroinflammatory disease.

Therapy Discontinuation in Older Adults with MS

John Corboy – University of Colorado

Addressed the complex question of when disease-modifying therapy may be safely discontinued in older individuals with MS.

Artificial Intelligence in MS Research & Practice

The Forum included a dedicated Brain Exchange session:

How to Utilize AI in MS Research and Clinical Practice

Moderators:

• Daniel Ontaneda – Cleveland Clinic
• Moein Amin – Cleveland Clinic

This session explored practical and research applications of artificial intelligence in the MS field.

Potential applications include:

• Imaging analysis
• Biomarker interpretation
• Disease prediction
• Risk stratification
• Treatment-response modeling
• Clinical decision support
• Research data analysis

Connecting to Diseases Beyond MS

The program compared MS with related immune-mediated and demyelinating neurological diseases.

Shared Genetic Risk Across Autoimmune Diseases

Matthew Lincoln – University of Toronto

Transcriptomic Changes in MS vs Secondary Demyelination

Vilas Menon – Columbia University

Prodromes in CNS Demyelinating Diseases

Dalia Rotstein – University of Toronto

The Unique Immunopathology That Distinguishes MOGAD From MS

Kevin O’Connor – Yale University

This session emphasized that modern neuroimmunology requires careful differentiation between MS and other inflammatory CNS disorders.

MOG Antibody-Associated Disease

MOGAD is increasingly recognized as a distinct inflammatory demyelinating disorder rather than a subtype of multiple sclerosis.

The ACTRIMS program examines immunological differences between MS and MOGAD and highlights their implications for:

• Diagnosis
• Biomarker interpretation
• Disease classification
• Treatment selection
• Prognosis

NMOSD

The 2025 program also included education focused on:

A New Era in NMOSD Treatment: Optimizing Therapeutic Transitions and Reducing Patient Burden

Modern NMOSD management increasingly emphasizes:

• Accurate antibody-based diagnosis
• Prevention of relapses
• Long-term immunotherapy
• Safe transition between therapies
• Patient burden
• Individualized treatment planning

Remyelination Trials

A dedicated Brain Exchange session focused on:

Designing and Conducting Remyelination Trials

Moderators:

• Shiv Saidha – Johns Hopkins
• Jiwon Oh – University of Toronto

Remyelination remains one of the most important unresolved therapeutic goals in multiple sclerosis.

Research challenges include:

• Selecting appropriate patient populations
• Determining imaging endpoints
• Measuring myelin restoration
• Measuring functional recovery
• Separating remyelination from inflammation control

Regional Connections in MS – Within & Beyond the CNS

This session examined interactions between CNS regions, CNS compartments, and the peripheral nervous system.

CNS Structural Disconnectivity in MS

Amy Kuceyeski – Cornell University

Examined how disruption of structural network connections contributes to neurological dysfunction.

Neuromodulation for Myelin Repair and Restoration of Function

Cristin Welle – University of Colorado

Explored potential links between neural activity, repair, and functional restoration.

Spatial Transcriptomics of Meningeal Inflammation

Sachin Gadani – University of Pittsburgh

Examined how inflammatory gene signatures in the meninges may extend into nearby brain tissue.

CNS Immunopeptidome and Autoimmunity

Min Woo Kim – Washington University in St. Louis

Explored novel molecular insights into CNS autoimmunity.

Imaging Brain Connections

The NAIMS Symposium focused on advanced structural and functional neuroimaging.

Network Neuroscience: Mapping and Modeling Multi-Modal Brain Imaging

Rick Betzel – Indiana University

Brain Connectomes and the Clinico-Radiological Paradox

Ceren Tozlu – Weill Cornell

Explored how brain network analysis may help explain differences between MRI lesion burden and clinical disability.

Functional Connectivity Using OPM-MEG

Christopher Gilmartin – University of Nottingham

Examined emerging approaches to measuring brain connectivity.

Microstructural Imaging of Network Effects

Florence Chiang – UT Southwestern

Focused on microstructural imaging and neurodegeneration.

National MS Society Barancik Award Lecture

The program featured the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Barancik Award Presentation and Talk by:

Mikael Simons – Technical University Munich / German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases

The Barancik Prize recognizes major innovation in multiple sclerosis research.

Machine Learning in MS

Connecting Data to the Clinic Using Machine Learning

A dedicated session examined computational approaches to MS pathology, progression, imaging, and disease heterogeneity.

Linking MS Immune Cell Protein Signatures With Clinical Progression

Stephanie Zandee – McGill University

Machine Learning to Improve MS Imaging

Taki Shinohara – University of Pennsylvania

Debate: Do MS Subtypes Exist?

Heinz Wiendl – University of Freiburg
Kathryn Fitzgerald – Johns Hopkins

The session illustrates the growing role of machine learning and data-driven modeling in refining disease classification and predicting clinical outcomes.

Remyelination & Neuroprotection

New Concepts in Repairing and Protecting Connections

This major session focused on remyelination failure, axonal injury, and potential strategies for repair.

Heterogeneity of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cell Responses During Remyelination

Ethan Hughes – University of Colorado

Mechanisms of Neuronal Vulnerability Following Remyelination Failure

Ben Emery – Oregon Health & Science University

Smoldering Lesions

Violetta Zujovic – Paris Brain Institute

Presented research showing how lymphocytes from MS patients may promote smoldering spinal cord lesions in experimental models.

Novel PET Imaging in Demyelinating Disease

Pedro Brugarolas – Harvard University

Explored novel PET approaches for measuring pathological processes in demyelinating disorders.

Late-Breaking Research & Clinical Trials

The Forum concluded with late-breaking research addressing several clinically important areas.

Paramagnetic Rim Lesions in Tolebrutinib Phase 3 Trials

Jiwon Oh – University of Toronto

Examined paramagnetic rim lesions as prognostic and predictive biomarkers in trials assessing disability outcomes.

Ketogenic Diet and the Immune-Metabolic Landscape in MS

Michael Kornberg – Johns Hopkins University

Examined immune and metabolic effects associated with a six-month ketogenic diet intervention.

Application of the 2024 McDonald Criteria

Alexandra Scharf – Cleveland Clinic

Examined the application of updated McDonald diagnostic criteria in atypical and radiological-only presentations.

Advanced MS Imaging

Imaging remains central to both diagnosis and disease monitoring in multiple sclerosis.

ACTRIMS 2025 highlights evolving modalities including:

• Structural MRI
• Ultra-high-field MRI
• Functional imaging
• Brain connectomics
• Retinal imaging
• Optical coherence-based biomarkers
• PET imaging
• Microstructural imaging
• Paramagnetic rim lesion assessment

These approaches seek to characterize disease processes beyond conventional lesion counting.

Aging & Progressive MS

Aging has become an increasingly important concept in MS.

As patients live longer with the disease, clinicians must understand how:

• Immunosenescence
• Cellular aging
• CNS reserve
• Neurodegeneration
• Comorbidities
• Treatment risk
• Treatment benefit

change across the lifespan.

The Forum specifically connects aging biology with MS progression and treatment decisions.

Smoldering Neuroinflammation

Progression in MS may continue even in the absence of obvious clinical relapse.

One proposed contributor is persistent compartmentalized or smoldering neuroinflammation.

Important related research areas include:

• Paramagnetic rim lesions
• Chronic active lesions
• Microglial activation
• Meningeal inflammation
• CNS-compartmentalized immune activity
• BTK inhibition
• Biomarkers of progression

Major Topics Covered

• Multiple Sclerosis
• ACTRIMS Forum
• Neuroimmunology
• Demyelinating Disease
• MS Progression
• Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
• Neurodegeneration
• Neuroprotection
• Remyelination
• Oligodendrocyte Biology
• Smoldering Neuroinflammation
• Chronic Active Lesions
• Paramagnetic Rim Lesions
• BTK Inhibitors
• Disease-Modifying Therapies
• High-Efficacy DMT
• Treatment Sequencing
• Treatment Discontinuation
• Aging in MS
• Immunosenescence
• Gut-Brain Axis
• Visual Pathways
• Neuro-Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Optic Nerve Disease
• MRI
• Advanced Neuroimaging
• Brain Connectomics
• Functional Connectivity
• Structural Connectivity
• Microstructural Imaging
• PET Imaging
• Machine Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• Biomarkers
• Clinical Prediction
• MOGAD
• NMOSD
• CNS Autoimmunity
• MS Genetics
• Proteomics
• Transcriptomics
• Clinical Trials
• 2024 McDonald Criteria
• Personalized MS Care

Program Leadership

The official ACTRIMS Forum 2025 Program Committee was chaired by:

Veronique Miron, PhD

Program Committee Chair – University of Toronto

Daniel Reich, MD, PhD

Vice-Chair – National Institutes of Health / NINDS

Daniel Ontaneda, MD, PhD

Immediate Past Chair – Cleveland Clinic

Additional committee members included experts from Cleveland Clinic, University of Toronto, Johns Hopkins, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Washington University, University of Calgary, UCSF, Université de Montréal, The Ohio State University, and other leading institutions.

Continuing Medical Education

The official ACTRIMS Forum 2025 was jointly provided by ACTRIMS and the Interstate Postgraduate Medical Association (IPMA).

The live activity was designated for a maximum of:

• 16.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

The activity also qualified as an ABMS Lifelong Learning CME Activity for Psychiatry and Neurology.

The official deadline for participants to claim CE credit was June 4, 2025.

Important CME Notice

Official CE credit required participants to:

• Attend eligible learning sessions
• Complete the online evaluation
• Certify the number of credits earned
• Submit the claim before the official deadline

The June 4, 2025 CE claim deadline has passed.

Viewing separately distributed recordings or educational files does not independently provide ACTRIMS CME credit.

Recorded Sessions

ACTRIMS recorded all educational sessions.

Registered participants originally received access through the Forum Event App, and ACTRIMS subsequently made recordings available through its LearnMS Online Library.

The virtual platform also supported:

• Live streaming
• ePosters
• Session recordings
• Q&A
• Closed captions
• Multiple caption languages

Why This Course Is Relevant

Multiple sclerosis management has moved well beyond simple relapse counting and conventional MRI lesion assessment.

Current MS care increasingly incorporates:

• Advanced imaging
• Biomarkers
• Disease progression independent of relapse activity
• Aging biology
• Chronic active inflammation
• High-efficacy therapy
• Treatment sequencing
• Neuroprotection
• Remyelination
• Computational modeling
• Distinction from related neuroimmune disorders

The ACTRIMS Forum 2025 provides a particularly valuable overview because it connects fundamental neuroscience with emerging technologies and practical clinical decision-making.

Its emphasis on connectivity, aging, neuroimaging, machine learning, smoldering disease, remyelination, and neuroimmune overlap disorders makes the program highly relevant to specialists managing both early and progressive multiple sclerosis.

Short Description

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Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Forum 2025 (ACTRIMS Forum 2025) provides an advanced update on multiple sclerosis, neuroimmunology, aging and progression, visual pathways, advanced MRI and brain connectivity, machine learning, biomarkers, high-efficacy DMT strategies, BTK inhibition, smoldering neuroinflammation, remyelination, neuroprotection, MOGAD, NMOSD and emerging clinical trials.

Topics

• Welcome & Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture

• IMSVISUAL Symposium: Connections Along and Beyond the Visual Pathway

• NAIMS Symposium: Imaging Brain Connections Using Structural and Functional Methods

• LACTRIMS and European Charcot Foundation Joint Symposium: Global Connections

• National MS Society Barancik Award Presentation and Talk

• Cutting Edge Developments (CE1 & CE2)

• Late Breaking Research and Clinical Trials (LB1)

• Session 1: Emerging Concepts in MS

• Session 2: Connecting Aging to MS Pathology & Progression

• Session 3: Connecting to Diseases Beyond MS

• Session 4: Regional Connections in MS, Within & Beyond the CNS

• Session 5: Connecting Data to the Clinic Using Machine Learning

• Session 6: New Concepts in Repairing and Protecting Connections

• Industry Supported Satellite Symposium 1: BTK Inhibition as an MS Treatment Strategy Targeting Smoldering Neuroinflammation

• Industry Supported Satellite Symposium 2: Navigating and Pioneering High Efficacy DMT Strategies – Optimizing Patient Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis

• Industry Supported Satellite Symposium 3: Time for a Reset: Using Modern Tools and Frameworks to Reengineer Multiple Sclerosis Management

• Industry Supported Satellite Symposium 4: A New Era in NMOSD Treatment: Optimizing Therapeutic Transitions and Reducing Patient Burden