Stanford Mulitple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Program News and Events

CAR-T therapy for multiple sclerosis enters US trials for first time

Stanford clinician scientists Dr. Jeffrey Dunn and Dr. Robert Lowsky have started the first clinical trial in the US testing CAR-T (CD-19) immunotherapy for Multiple Sclerosis in human subjects, as reported in Nature magazine.

Stanford MS Center certified by the Consortium of MS Centers

The Stanford Multiple Sclerosis Center was awarded ongoing certification for 2024 as a member Center in good standing with the highly esteemed Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. Stanford's active membership in the CMSC enables Stanford to continue in its role of national leadership in medical and nursing care in the field of MS.

The Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition

Jeff Dunn, MD was awarded The Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Rep. Mike Thompson for advancing the care and research of Multiple Sclerosis.

CRUSH MS

Help us #CrushMS! Join the Stanford Neuroimmunology & Multiple Sclerosis team for food, wine, music and an auction at the Reid Family Vineyards in Napa, CA July 29, 2023. All proceeds support MS research & MS organizations.

2023 Lysia S. Forno Award

Congratulations to Lucas Kipp, MD, Clinical Associate Professor and winner of the 2023 Lysia S. Forno Award. This award was named for Dr. Forno who taught neuropathology to a generation of Stanford neurology residents. Each year residents vote for the faculty member they feel embodies Dr. Forno's outstanding contributions to resident teaching.

Epstein Barr Virus & Multiple Sclerosis – Jeffrey Dunn, M.D.

New research shows that Multiple Sclerosis may be caused by Epstein Barr virus infection. Learn more in this informative Grand Rounds lecture at the Seattle Science Foundation by Jeffrey Dunn, MD.

Repairing spinal cord lesions in MS with Focused Ultrasound

Professors Pablo Villoslada, Kimberly Butts Pauly, and Lawrence Steinman, from Stanford Neurology and Radiology, have been awarded a grant to study repairing spinal cord lesions in MS with focused ultrasound. This study addresses a critical and unmet need in the field of MS.

National MS Society 2022 Bay Area Dinner of Champions

Stanford Neuroimmunology faculty and nurses were honored at the National MS Society 2022 Bay Area Dinner of Champions. Congratulations to Jong-Mi Lee, MSN, NP, Jamie McDonald, MD, MSc, Neda Sattarnezhad, MD, and Esther H. Nie, MD, PhD!

CRUSH MS Summer Celebration

Drs. Dunn and Sattarnezhad were honored to speak at CRUSH MS this year, where they spoke on the promising advances being made in our understanding of the possible causes of Multiple Sclerosis.

Project BIG/Sarafan ChEM-H Kickoff Event

Our division's flagship research initiative PROJECT BIG has joined forces with the Sarafan ChEM-H Center at Stanford to bring clinical tissue and curated phenotype to the molecular investigation of chemistry, engineering and medicine to stretch the translational arc for advancing human health, with a focus on immune mechanisms of neurological disease.

Stanford Welcomes our New Neuroimmunology Fellows

Stanford is proud to welcome our 2022-2023 Fellows in Neuroimmunology! Dr. Neda Sattarnezhad will be returning for her Senior Fellowship year with us, and Esther Nie, MD, PhD joins our team with training at Yale undergrad, UCLA Medicine, and Neurology residency at Stanford.

Study identifies how Epstein-Barr virus triggers multiple sclerosis

Stanford MS team studies the immune responses of MS patients on DMT to COVID vaccination

Stanford MS Center certified by the Consortium of MS Centers

The Stanford Multiple Sclerosis Center was awarded ongoing certification for 2022 as a member Center in good standing with the highly esteemed Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. Stanford's active membership in the CMSC enables Stanford to continue in its role of national leadership in medical and nursing care in the field of MS.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Advisory on COVID booster vaccination

Read frequently asked questions and learn additional information about COVID-19 Vaccine Dose (Booster) and MS from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that people whose immune systems are moderately to severely compromised should receive a third dose of the Pfizer or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. We encourage patients who meet this criteria to discuss with their health care provider whether a third dose is appropriate for them at this time. If so, Stanford Health Care is now scheduling appointments for its established patients through MyHealth.

Oscar Salvatierra Award

Congratulations to Jeffrey Dunn, MD, inaugural award winner of the Oscar Salvatierra Award for Exceptional Service to Stanford medical students and the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Dunn built the Neurology clerkship into a model of national excellence and the highest rated clerkship in the SOM for more than a decade, inspiring more than a thousand medical students during his tenure.

The Big Brief

Welcome to Issue 4 of The BIG Brief — a periodic digest of what is top of mind at Project BIG. As you read through the achievements of the team and the promising research underway, despite all the challenges and hardships of this past year, please consider whether you will renew your support of Project BIG for the 2021 year. Our mission is to unlock the cause and cure for MS and other neurological and autoimmune diseases through a unique clinician-scientist collaboration across disciplines. Our team of scientists, researchers, neurologists, immunologists, radiologists, microbiologists, psychologists, and patient advocates at Stanford are engaged in some of the most high-impact and exciting Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG) research taking place anywhere. The BIG Brief provides a snapshot of their worlds as well as a curated collection of articles that have captured our team's attention.

What we can learn from COVID-19 in kids

Stanford Professor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Lawrence Steinman, MD, researches what we can learn from COVID-19 in kids in a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Stanford MS Center Launches COViMS Registry

As a NARCRMS member site, and together with the Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC) and the National MS Society (NMSS), Stanford has joined efforts to launch the COVID-19 Infections in MS & Related Diseases (COViMS) registry.  COViMS will capture information on outcomes of people with MS and other CNS demyelinating diseases (Neuromyelitis Optica and MOG antibody disease) who have developed COVID-19 in North America (Canada, Mexico & US). This will help our understanding of this disease and its effects and risks specifically pertaining to our clientele, gathering information which can contribute to a safer tomorrow for the patients we care for.

Sleep Better Tonight: The MS Guide to Dreamland

If you have MS, what can you do to improve your chances of getting a restful night’s sleep despite the symptoms? Some of the most common sleep obstacles, plus practical solutions for people with MS are discussed in this article.

Events

VIRTUAL WALK MS
Saturday, April 30, 2022

Walk MS brings together passionate people for a powerful purpose: to end MS forever. Feel the support that can only come from a community whose steps fuel breakthroughs, solutions and a cure. Join the movement today to show that together, we are stronger than MS.