Support given by the Fund Jean and Marie Henkens-Lecloux, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation.

In multiple sclerosis (MS), the majority of immunosuppressive disease modifying treatments (DMTs) appear to be most effective in patients featuring acute inflammatory lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Yet, beside the presence of acute inflammation on MRI, a smoldering inflammatory activity can be detected in MS using advanced imaging and soluble biomarkers. This smoldering inflammatory activity slowly “burns” and destroy the brain tissue of MS patients, resulting in disease worsening, independently of new MRI lesions or clinical relapses. This project will investigate the relationship between advanced MRI and blood biomarkers of smoldering MS and the potential effect of available DMTs on these biomarkers.