Biyoteknoloji ve Multipl Skleroz Araştırma Derneği Türkiye MS Derneği
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Scientific Programme

Fourteen sessions over three days — each opening with a debate and closing with discussion — alongside satellite symposia and oral abstract presentations.

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Day 1 — 30 March 2027

The programme for this day is being prepared and will be announced shortly.

Day 2 — 31 March 2027

  1. 09:00-10:30

    Official Opening & Presentation of the Istanbul MS Days Award

    1. 09:00-09:20

      Opening Ceremony

      • 5-minute inspirational video “Patients’ Voice: What do our patients expect from us?”
      • Short comments by chairs
    2. 09:20-09:35
      Welcome address 1

      Tree of Life: The interconnected roots of existence

    3. 09:35-09:50
      Welcome address 2

      From roots to fruits in MS & Autoimmunity

    4. 09:50-10:00

      Presentation of the Istanbul MS Days 2027 Award

    5. 10:00-10:30

      Istanbul MS Days Lecture title to be announced

  2. 10:30-10:45 Break
  3. 10:45-12:20
    Session 1

    Seeds of MS

    1. 10:45-11:00
      Introductory debate

      Is inheritance of MS genetic or epigenetic?

      Genetic vs Epigenetic

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 11:00-11:20

      Genetic risk of MS is underestimated

    3. 11:20-11:40

      Epigenetic inheritance of MS shapes diversity in MS outcomes

    4. 11:40-12:00

      Is EBV the only trigger of MS or tip of the iceberg?

    5. 12:00-12:20

      Q&A and discussion

  4. 12:20-13:45

    Lunch & In-Lunch Satellite Symposium

  5. 13:45-15:20
    Session 2

    Seeds to Initial Roots of MS

    1. 13:45-14:00
      Introductory debate

      Does the immune system have a master regulatory cell?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 14:00-14:20

      Tregs matter in MS

    3. 14:20-14:40

      Bregs matter more than Tregs in MS

    4. 14:40-15:00

      Role of monocyte lineage in immunoregulation in MS

    5. 15:00-15:20

      Q&A and discussion

  6. 15:20-15:35 Break
  7. 15:35-17:10
    Session 3

    Establishing the Root System in MS

    1. 15:35-15:50
      Introductory debate

      Does the CNS have a master regulatory cell?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 15:50-16:10

      The unbearable heaviness of being an astrocyte

    3. 16:10-16:30

      Oligodendrocytes: Between a rock and a hard place

    4. 16:30-16:50

      Microglia: Master of cells or Orion?

    5. 16:50-17:10

      Q&A and discussion

  8. 17:10-17:25 Break
  9. 17:25-19:00
    Session 4

    Connecting the Root System in MS

    1. 17:25-17:40
      Introductory debate

      AI will reshape our understanding of MS & autoimmunity

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 17:40-18:00

      How to build AI into the future of medical education

    3. 18:00-18:20

      Using AI to solve the unsolvable: Examples from the real world

    4. 18:20-18:40

      Using the roots rather than the fruits of disease to redefine the phenotypes of MS: An AI-based approach

    5. 18:40-19:00

      Q&A and discussion

  10. 19:00-19:30

    Summary and Expert Reflections

    Summary of key messages from the day’s presentations, together with the experts’ own perspectives

Day 3 — 1 April 2027

  1. 08:00-08:50

    Oral Abstract Presentations

    1. Hall A — Oral abstract presentations in English

    2. Hall B — Oral abstract presentations in English

    3. Hall C — Oral abstract presentations in Turkish

    4. Hall D — Oral abstract presentations in Turkish

  2. 09:00-10:35
    Session 5

    Clinical Branches of MS

    1. 09:00-09:15
      Introductory debate

      Does MS have distinct phases?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 09:15-09:35

      All relapses are equal, but some relapses are more equal than others

    3. 09:35-09:55

      The biology of progressive MS is a continuum that starts from the beginning

    4. 09:55-10:15

      The makeup of cumulative disability in MS: Why do we see “benign” and severe extremes?

    5. 10:15-10:35

      Q&A and discussion

  3. 10:35-10:50 Break
  4. 10:50-12:25
    Session 6

    Imaging Branches and Fruits of MS

    1. 10:50-11:05
      Introductory debate

      Molecular imaging is as important as MRI for understanding the progressive MS phenotype

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 11:05-11:25

      After the acute phase, some lesions continue to evolve: Smoldering and slowly expanding lesions in the CNS

    3. 11:25-11:45

      MS is a diffuse slow burn within the CNS: The smoldering brain and atrophy at distant sites

    4. 11:45-12:05

      Skull bone marrow in MS: Lessons from TSPO-PET

    5. 12:05-12:25

      Q&A and discussion

  5. 12:25-13:50

    Lunch & In-Lunch Satellite Symposium

  6. 13:50-15:35
    Session 7

    Ripening the Fruits of MS

    1. 13:50-14:05
      Introductory debate

      Is it time to consider sex hormone-based therapy in MS?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 14:05-14:25

      Mixing and matching sex chromosomes to dissect their impact on autoimmunity and MS

    3. 14:25-14:45

      Too much or too little? How female hormones shape MS across the reproductive lifespan

    4. 14:45-15:05

      How do male hormones impact MS?

    5. 15:05-15:35

      Q&A and discussion

  7. 15:35-15:50 Break
  8. 15:50-17:25
    Session 8

    Harvesting better outcomes in MS starts with early diagnosis

    1. 15:50-16:05
      Introductory debate

      Will earlier diagnosis using the 2024 McDonald criteria meaningfully reduce long-term disability in MS?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 16:05-16:25

      What are the clinical gold standards for validating MS diagnostic criteria?

    3. 16:25-16:45

      Imaging gold standards for validating MS diagnostic criteria: Lessons from RIS and beyond, with potential implications for treatment outcomes

    4. 16:45-17:05

      How should MS diagnostic criteria best be validated from a statistical perspective?

    5. 17:05-17:25

      Q&A and discussion

  9. 17:25-17:40 Break
  10. 17:40-19:15
    Session 9

    Grafting the MS tree to bear a different fruit

    1. 17:40-17:55
      Introductory debate

      Can directly targeting microglia meaningfully improve outcomes in MS?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 17:55-18:15

      CAR-T cell therapy in MS: What could it offer beyond current treatments, and at what risk?

    3. 18:15-18:35

      Where are the promised remyelination therapies for MS?

    4. 18:35-18:55

      Can endogenous neural stem and progenitor cells be mobilized for CNS repair in MS?

    5. 18:55-19:15

      Q&A and discussion

  11. 19:15-19:45

    Summary and Expert Reflections

    Summary of key messages from the day’s presentations, together with the experts’ own perspectives

  12. 19:45-20:00 Pre-dinner break

Day 4 — 2 April 2027

  1. 08:00-08:45

    Morning Satellite Symposium

    All panellists

  2. 09:00-10:35
    Session 10

    Describing what to pick better in MS

    1. 09:00-09:15
      Introductory debate

      We already have pretty good clinical, biofluid and imaging biomarkers: Do we still need more biomarkers for MS?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 09:15-09:35

      Unmet needs in imaging biomarkers for MS

    3. 09:35-09:55

      Unmet needs in blood biomarkers for MS

    4. 09:55-10:15

      Unmet needs in CSF biomarkers for MS

    5. 10:15-10:35

      Q&A and discussion

  3. 10:35-10:50 Break
  4. 10:50-12:25
    Session 11

    Picking the hard-to-reach fruits in MS

    1. 10:50-11:05
      Introductory debate

      Cognitive and behavioral impairment is the most common and prominent disability in MS

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 11:05-11:25

      Cognitive disability starts very early in MS

    3. 11:25-11:45

      Radiomic features of cognitive impairment can be seen long before patients report symptoms

    4. 11:45-12:05

      The hidden roots of cognitive impairment in MS: From cellular pathology to network failure

    5. 12:05-12:25

      Q&A and discussion

  5. 12:25-13:50

    Lunch & In-Lunch Satellite Symposium

  6. 13:50-15:25
    Session 12

    Mimics of MS — From Roots to Fruits

    1. 13:50-14:05
      Introductory debate

      Can autoimmune mimics of MS be reliably distinguished from MS?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 14:05-14:25

      Neurosarcoidosis: The orphaned mimic of CNS autoimmunity

    3. 14:25-14:45

      Diagnosing without a gold standard: Do we need better criteria for Neuro-Behçet disease?

    4. 14:45-15:05

      Other autoimmune mimics of MS, NMOSD and MOGAD

    5. 15:05-15:25

      Q&A and discussion

  7. 15:25-15:40 Break
  8. 15:40-17:15
    Session 13

    From seeds to fruits in NMOSD

    1. 15:40-15:55
      Introductory debate

      Is AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD our best model for precision therapy in CNS autoimmunity?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 15:55-16:15

      What do longitudinal changes in AQP4-IgG and MOG-IgG really tell us about prognosis and treatment?

    3. 16:15-16:35

      Beyond attack prevention in NMOSD: What remains unmet in treatment, recovery and long-term outcomes?

    4. 16:35-16:55

      What lies behind double-seronegative NMOSD: A distinct disease entity or a heterogeneous group of disorders?

    5. 16:55-17:15

      Q&A and discussion

  9. 17:15-17:30 Break
  10. 17:30-19:05
    Session 14

    From seeds to fruits in MOGAD

    1. 17:30-17:45
      Introductory debate

      Is MOGAD primarily a post-infectious autoimmune disease of the CNS?

      Yes vs No

      6-minute limit per speaker, with electronic vote

    2. 17:45-18:05

      How common is MOGAD, really?

    3. 18:05-18:25

      From antibodies and cellular mechanisms to clinical outcomes: The biology of MOGAD

    4. 18:25-18:45

      The treatment saga in MOGAD: Whom to treat, when to start, what to use and for how long?

    5. 18:45-19:05

      Q&A and discussion

  11. 19:05-19:35

    Summary and Expert Reflections

    Summary of key messages from the day’s presentations, together with the experts’ own perspectives

  12. 19:35-19:50

    Official closure

  13. 19:50-20:15 Pre-dinner break

Day 5 — 3 April 2027

The programme for this day is being prepared and will be announced shortly.

Programme as of 30 August 2026. Chairs, discussants and speakers will be announced; session titles and timings may still change.

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30 March – 3 April 2027

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