Scientific meeting: Multiple Sclerosis – Multiple Predictors in Disease Prognostication
September 4 @ 14:00 – 18:00
The scientific meeting chaired by ParadigMS expert Maura Pugliatti will be exploring current and emerging predictors of disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis.
Meeting details
Date: Friday, 4 September 2026
Time: 13:00-18:10
Location: Palazzo Roverella, Ferrara, Italy
Registration: Free of charge
CME accreditation: No CME credits available
Understanding disease progression remains one of the greatest challenges in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) care. This scientific meeting will bring together leading international experts to examine the diverse factors that contribute to disease prognostication, from clinical and biological markers to emerging technologies and predictive models.
Participants will explore current evidence on pathophysiology, biomarkers, genetic studies, registries, comorbidities, imaging, and decision-support systems, while discussing how these insights may support more personalized management strategies for people living with MS.
Scientific committee
- Maura Pugliatti
- Caterina Ferri
- Nicola Merli
- Massimiliano Castellazzi
Programme overview
Session I
Prognostication in Multiple Sclerosis: Pathogenesis, Pathophysiology and Clinical Presentation
14:00
Multiple sclerosis progression: pathophysiology and measurements
Celia Oreja-Guevara (Spain)
14:20
Clinical predictors of disease progression
Bart Van Wijmeersch (Belgium)
14:40
Biomarkers in predicting multiple sclerosis worsening
Laura Airas (Finland)
15:00
Prognostication from genetic studies
Sandra D’Alfonso (Italy)
15:20
Investigating disease prognosis through data collection: the Italian MS Registry
Pietro Iaffaldano (Italy)
15:40
Microchimerism in multiple sclerosis
Michele Rubini (Italy)
16:00
Discussion
Session II
Prognostication in Multiple Sclerosis: Evidence About Less Conventional Predictors
16:20
Prognostication from cerebrospinal fluid analysis
Massimiliano Castellazzi (Italy)
16:40
Comorbidities in multiple sclerosis progression
Caterina Ferri (Italy)
17:00
The role of ultrasound in prognosis through the study of the optic nerve
Nicola Merli (Italy)
Session III
Prognostication in Multiple Sclerosis: Moving Towards Algorithms and Decisional Support Systems
17:20
Decisional support systems, modelling and algorithms
Massimiliano Copetti (Italy)
17:40
Prognostication in multiple sclerosis: the PROMISING Study
Maura Pugliatti (Italy)
18:00
Discussion
18:10
Closing remarks
Maura Pugliatti (Italy)
Why attend?
This meeting offers a comprehensive overview of established and emerging predictors of disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis, bringing together expertise from clinical practice, epidemiology, genetics, biomarker research and data science. Attendees will gain practical insights into how prognostic tools may support more informed treatment decisions and personalised patient care.
Under the auspices of
- ParadigMS
- University of Ferrara
- Ferrara University Hospital
- Ferrara Health District
- Italian Society of Neurology (SIN)
- Italian Association of Neuroepidemiology (AINEP)
