.Illustration of a smoldering brain as the end of a match

ONCE SPARKED,
SMOLDERING
NEUROINFLAMMATION
IS DESTRUCTIVE1,2

Starting at the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS), smoldering neuroinflammation continues to cause damage, which can manifest over time as gradual disability accumulation.3-5

Learn about the evidence
Illustration of a brain

Acute and Smoldering Neuroinflammation

Examine evidence for 2 neuroinflammatory processes driving disability accumulation from the onset of MS3-5

.Illustration of a woman being pulled back by a heavy weight

Disability Accumulation

Learn more about the physical and cognitive changes that may appear early—even prior to naSPMS onset6-8

Illustration of two arrows crossing over each other

Addressing Both Processes

Discover a new focus of MS research

Smoldering Stories

Hear how smoldering neuroinflammation may impact the life of Marissa, a patient with MS.

Hear more patient stories

   References:

  1. Cree BAC, Hollenbach JA, Bove R, et al; University of California, San Francisco MS-Epic Team. Silent progression in disease activity-free relapsing multiple sclerosis. Ann Neurol. 2019;85(5):653-666.
  2. Ziemssen T, Derfuss, de Stefano N, et al. Optimizing treatment success in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol. 2016;263(6):1053-1065.
  3. Frisch ES, Pretzsch R, Weber MS. A milestone in multiple sclerosis therapy: monoclonal antibodies against CD20—yet progress continues. Neurotherapeutics. 2021;18(3):1602-1622.
  4. Giovannoni G, Popescu V, Wuerfel J, et al. Smouldering multiple sclerosis: the ‘real MS’. Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2022;15:17562864211066751. doi:10.1177/17562864211066751
  5. Häusser-Kinzel S, Weber MS. The role of B cells and antibodies in multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, and related disorders. Front Immunol. 2019;10:201. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2019.00201
  6. Bayas A, Schuh K, Christ M. Self-assessment of people with relapsing-remitting and progressive multiple sclerosis towards burden of disease, progression, and treatment utilization results of a large-scale cross-sectional online survey (MS Perspectives). Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022;68:104166. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2022.104166
  7. Portaccio E, Bellinvia A, Fonderico M, et al. Progression is independent of relapse activity in early multiple sclerosis: a real-life cohort study. Brain. 2022;145(8):2796-2805.
  8. Lakin L, Davis BE, Binns CC, Currie KM, Rensel MR. Comprehensive approach to management of multiple sclerosis: addressing invisible symptoms—a narrative review. Neurol Ther. 2021;10(1):75-98.