Multiple Sclerosis Discovery: The Podcast Of The Ms Discovery Forum

[intro music]   Host – Dan Keller Hello, happy new year, and welcome to Episode Twenty-Six of Multiple Sclerosis Discovery, the podcast of the MS Discovery Forum. I’m your host, Dan Keller.   This week’s podcast features an interview with Tim Kennedy about remyelination and neural development. But to begin, here is a brief summary of some of the latest developments on the MS Discovery Forum at msdiscovery.org.   According to a new clinical trial, azathioprine, or AZA, may be as effective as interferon beta. The generic immunosuppressant was effective in both reducing relapses and reducing new brain lesions in the multicenter trial. This may not be surprising since the drug has been used off-label to treat MS for several decades. If trials continue to go well, AZA may become the go-to alternative for patients who can’t afford brand name interferons.   A pair of Canadian studies recently showed that both neurodegeneration and inflammation may start in the early stages of pediatric multiple sclerosis. One team f