The UK MS Register team had an inspiring and successful trip to the ECTRIMS 2025 conference in Barcelona, the 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.  

This event is the world’s largest annual meeting dedicated to research in multiple sclerosis, and a really important date in the MS research calendar. The Register team were proud to showcase our work through scientific posters, ePosters, and a talk, all highlighting the vital contributions of people with MS who take part in the Register. 

A particular highlight was Dr Owain Howells’ talk, titled ‘Defining rapidly worsening MS through the combined analysis of patient registry, clinical and autopsy data’, which featured his research using UK MS Register data. Dr Howell, an Associate Professor in Biomedical Sciences at Swansea University, works closely with Register analyst Sarah Knowles looking into the pathology of MS. We were thrilled that Dr Howell’s presentation was selected as a scientific highlight of the conference – a fantastic recognition of the impact of this work. 

We were also delighted to celebrate the success of PhD researcher Imogen Collier, whose poster on menopause and MS ‘The Impact of Menopause for People with MS in the UK MS Register’ – which is based on her ongoing research with the Register – won a poster prize. A huge achievement and an important topic that resonated with many attendees. 

Other Register posters included: 

• Disease Modifying Therapies in a Post COVID United Kingdom 

• Region specific expression quantitative trait loci associated with Multiple Sclerosis in brain tissues 

• Don’t dream its over: Impact of Sleep and MS, a UK MS Register Study 

In addition to sharing our research and attending talks, the team also had a stand at the conference (pictured below) and handed out large amounts of literature and merchandise about the Register. Conferences like ECTRIMS are a perfect opportunity to meet researchers, clinicians, and contacts within the pharmaceutical industry, and explain to them how the Register operates and how it can be utilized as a research tool.  

This year, for the first time, the UK MS Register joined the ECTRIMS Patient Community Day as supporting partners (pictured below). The event took place on the final afternoon of the conference with 400 people attending in person, and thousands more joining online from around the world. Designed specifically for people with MS, the event provided the opportunity for patients to hear about research advancements through panel discussions and Q&A sessions. Recordings of the sessions are available through the ECTRIMS website. 

We return from ECTRIMS proud, inspired, and even more motivated to continue our work – thank you to everyone who contributes to the Register and helps make this research possible. 

For more information on the conference and the research presented there, visit the ECTRIMS website.