Chairperson

Demyelinating diseases

The Scientist Panel on Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Diseases is dedicated to coordinate research and treatment guidelines within the neurological societies in Europe. The Scientist Panel has a close collaboration with the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS); some of the panel members also hold positons in the ECTRIMS boards.

For the EFNS Congresses in Madrid and Firenze the Scientist Panel has arranged teaching courses and contributed to main topics and focused workshops.

During the last years the panel produced several guidelines:
1. Guidelines on the use of anti-interferon-beta antibody measurements in multiple sclerosis
2. Guidelines for treatment of multiple sclerosis relapses
The guidelines were published in the European Journal of Neurology in 2005 and constituted chapters in the Handbook of Neurological Management published in 2006.

Current task forces:
Together with the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) the Scientist Panel has established a task force on guidelines for the use of immunomodulatory therapy in MS.

The panel has planned to form a working group for producing a paper on the access for neurologists in all European countries to prescribe all approved immunomodulatory drugs. Ron Milo was appointed leader of this working group.

Future work of the panel will address a consensus for safety considerations for MS therapy with monoclonal antibodies. In addition, the issue of neutralizing antibodies against natalizumab will be addressed under the leadership of Prof Sorensen.

Publications from the EFNS Scientific Panel on Multiple Sclerosis and demyelintating diseases:
* Sorensen PS, Deisenhamer F, Duda P, Hohlfeld R, Myhr K-M, Palace J, Polman C, Pozzilli C, Ross C for the EFNS Task Force on Anti-IFN-ß antibodies in multiple sclerosis. Guidelines on the use of anti-IFN-ß antibody measurements in multiple sclerosis: report of an EFNS task force. Eur J Neurol 2005; 12:1:1-11
* Sellebjerg F, Barnes D, Filippini G, Midgard R, Montalban X, Rieckmann P, Selmaj K, Visser LH, Sorensen PS. EFNS guideline on treatment of multiple sclerosis relapses: report of an EFNS task force. Eur J Neurol 2005; 12:939-46