Jan. 12, 2015 - Drs. Cristofanilli and Mir Represented Tisch MSRCNY at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience Meeting

Dr. Massimiliano Cristofanilli and Dr. Fozia Mir presented at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Washington D.C. on November 15^th. They spoke to an eager audience of over 200 scientists as part of the Demyelinating Disorders Nanosymposium. The annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience is the world’s largest event focused on scientific discovery related to the brain and nervous system.

Dr. Cristofanilli presented data on a potential new biomarker in MS called transglutaminase 6 (TGM6). His research suggests that TGM6 indicators in cerebrospinal fluid may be useful in distinguishing between subtypes of MS as well as disease activity. He also found that TGM6 plays a role in astrogliosis (scar formation) during disease progression, which will pave the way for future research to better understand this important phenomenon. 

Dr. Fozia Mir presented her work on metabolomics (or unique metabolic fingerprints). She focused on the need for a better understanding of progressive multiple sclerosis, discussing the use of a metabolomic screen to determine and compare global metabolic profiles in human cerebrospinal fluid associated with disease progression. Dr. Mir’s research results have revealed several changes in the CSF metabolome that could potentially define the underlying pathogenesis of progressive multiple sclerosis. She also talked about how these results will enable differentiation between primary progressive and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and allow us to uncover new therapeutic targets for the disease.

Dr. Cristofanilli and Dr. Mir’s talks were well received, followed by questions at the event. They have also received many follow-up queries since.

For details about the Society of Neuroscience Meeting visit: http://www.sfn.org/Annual-Meeting/Neuroscience-2014/Sessions-and-Events/...

Dr. Massimiliano Cristofanilli's Abstract: TGM6 is a potential biomarker in MS and its expression by reactive astrocytes in the murine spinal cord during EAE correlates with disease course

Dr. Fozia Mir's Abstract: Metabolomics of cerebrospinal fluid reveals differential signatures of progressive multiple sclerosis