In her project PhD researcher Sofie Aerts at Hasselt University, with the guidance of Prof. Bart Van Wijmeersch and Prof. Liesbet M. Peeters, researchers aim to develop a comprehensive prognostic tool for multiple sclerosis (MS). This tool seeks to combine clinical expertise with data-driven evidence to enhance decision-making in MS care.

Research Objectives:

• Investigate how MS specialists conceptualize prognosis and incorporate it into clinical practice.
• Identify key challenges and priority areas to guide the creation of a practical, standardized, and patient-centred prognostic tool.
• Address variability in current prognostic methods by integrating broader disease impacts beyond traditional physical disability metrics.

This research underscores the need for tools that translate complex prognostic factors into actionable insights, ultimately supporting more personalized and effective MS care. The final presentation is pending approval and will soon be available on the ParadigMS website.

Read the latest advancements in personalized prognosis for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) with a comprehensive guide authored by ParadigMS Foundation experts: Bart Van Wijmeersch, Hans-Peter Hartung, Patrick Vermersch, Maura Pugliatti, Carlo Pozzilli, Nikolaos Grigoriadis, Mona Alkhawajah, Laura Airas, Ralf Linker, and Celia Oreja-Guevara.

Published in Frontiers in Immunology, the article titled “Using Personalized Prognosis in the Treatment of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: A Practical Guide” explores the heterogeneity of MS and emphasizes the importance of individualized treatment strategies. It provides practical insights into assessing disease activity and tailoring therapeutic approaches to enhance patient outcomes.

This publication reflects the ParadigMS Foundation’s commitment to advancing MS research and clinical practice. We encourage you to read the full article to gain a deeper understanding of personalized prognosis in MS treatment.

“Understanding MS Prognosis: Insights from Specialist Neurologists”

This poster presents findings from a qualitative study exploring how multiple sclerosis (MS) specialists approach prognostication in clinical practice. Led by Sofie Aerts, the research delves into the perspectives of MS neurologists, revealing key factors they consider when predicting disease progression and the challenges they face in providing accurate prognoses. The study emphasizes the need for standardized, patient-centered approaches that go beyond traditional metrics, highlighting areas for improvement in prognostication tools and strategies. This research provides valuable insights that can inform better, more personalized care for MS patients.

To read the poster you may download it below:

Sofie Aerts is a PhD researcher at Hasselt University in Belgium, where she is supervised by Prof. Bart Van Wijmeersch and, the ParadigMS Expert and Board Member and Prof. Liesbet M. Peeters. She is affiliated with the Biomedical Research Institute and the Rehabilitation Research Centre of Hasselt University. Her research is situated within the University MS Center (UMSC), a collaborative effort connecting Hasselt University with Noorderhart Rehabilitation and MS to advance research and patient care in MS.

Sofie’s research focuses on improving prognostication in MS by developing a tool that integrates data-driven insights with expert knowledge from MS specialists, aiming to address limitations in current predictive models and provide clinicians with a trustworthy resource for informed decision-making.

In collaboration with the ParadigMS Foundation, Sofie recently led a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews with its board members, investigating how MS specialists perceive and utilize prognostic information in clinical practice. The findings from this study, which will be published soon, will inform her subsequent steps as she collaborates with experts from ParadigMS to co-develop a prognostic algorithm. 

Beyond this work, Sofie contributes to efforts that involve applying machine learning techniques to clinical and paraclinical data, with the goal of predicting disease worsening and identifying biomarkers in MS. In addition, she is engaged in retrospective studies that assess the safety and effectiveness of MS treatments in real-world settings.