Past Podcast Episodes

Living your best life with MS means learning to overcome the stigma of having a disability, successfully navigating social relationships, and learning how to ask for and accept help.

Joining me to share their perspectives and their experiences in overcoming some of these social obstacles are Denise Schnieders, who was diagnosed with MS just about a year ago, and Fox Rigney, who's been living with MS since 2012.

We're also applauding a forward-thinking caregiver leave benefit that's just been announced by EMD Serono.

We're sharing results of a study that show MS lesions dynamically change over time and explains why those changes aren't apparent on MRI scans.

We'll tell you about an AI-powered drug repurposing platform that has identified a potential treatment for MS.

We'll also share an announcement from the CEO of Google's artificial intelligence company,  DeepMind, that we will see pharmaceutical drugs developed by artificial intelligence in clinical trials by the end of this year.

And we'll share the details of a Phase 2 clinical trial that you may qualify to participate in.

We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: Overcoming the stigma of disability, navigating social situations, and how to ask for and receive help  :22

EMD Serono implements caregiver leave benefit (And we're applauding!)  1:04

Imaging study reveals that T-2 lesions expand and contract “invisibly”  3:16

Has an AI drug repurposing platform discovered a new treatment for MS?  6:22

We will see pharmaceutical drugs developed by artificial intelligence in clinical trials this year  8:06

Your opportunity to participate in MS resesarch  10:54

Denise Schnieders and Fox Rigney discuss overcoming the stigma of MS  14:04

Share this episode  32:46

Have you downloaded the free RealTalk MS app?  33:06

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS

Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/389

ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION

I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!

Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283

And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS

If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com

RealTalk MS on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@RealTalkMS

Dynamic Expansion and Contraction of Multiple Sclerosis T-2 Weighted Hyperintense Lesions Are Present Below the Threshold of Visual Perception
https://www.ajnr.org/content/early/2025/01/16/ajnr.A8453

Contact Information for Obexelimab Phase 2 Clinical Trial
Phone: (833) 269-4696
Email: clinicaltrialsinfo@zenasbio.com

Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms

Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200

Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Devices
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk

Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.

RealTalk MS Episode 389
Guests: Denise Schnieders and Fox Rigney

 

When we talk about myelin damage, most of us typically think of the brain. After all, that myelin is located in your central nervous system. But the inflammation that causes myelin damage may be triggered by activity that's taking place well south of your central nervous system, in your gut microbiome, the colony of trillions of bacteria and microorganisms that live in your intestines. 

Dr. Ashutosh Mangalam joins me to help us understand what this gut-brain connection is all about, how that connection impacts MS, and what you can do to change the makeup of your gut microbiome. Dr. Mangalam is an Associate Professor of Pathology at the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, where his research is focused on studying the gut microbiome and the immune system in multiple sclerosis.

We're also talking about the newly published guidance from the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS and the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, recommending autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) for treating some cases of relapsing-remitting MS.

We'll tell you about an experimental drug that may resolve MS-related vision issues through remyelination.

And we'll introduce you to this year's winner of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research.

We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: The gut-brain connection (and what it means if you're liviing with MS)  :22

The European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS and the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation issue a recommendation for stem cell therapy to treat relapsing-remitting MS  1:35

Researchers develop a drug that may resolve MS-related vision issues through remyelination  4:44

National MS Society names this year's winner of the Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research  7:23

Dr. Ashutosh Mangalam explains how (and why) the brain-gut connection impacts MS    11:14

Share this episode  35:38

Have you downloaded the free RealTalk MS app?  35:58

SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS

Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/388

ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION

I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts!

Email: jon@realtalkms.com
Phone: (310) 526-2283

And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group!

LINKS

If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com

RealTalk MS on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@RealTalkMS

Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder — Recommendations from ECTRIMS and EBMT
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-024-01050-x

National MS Society Releases Recommendations for aHSCT-Bone Marrow Transplant for MS
https://nationalmssociety.org/news-and-magazine/news/national-ms-society-releases-recommendations

STUDY: Incomplete Remyelination Via Therapeutically Enhanced Oligodendrogenesis Is Sufficient to Recover Visual Cortical Function
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56092-6

Join the RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms

Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Devices
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/realtalk-ms/id1436917200

Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Devices
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.realtalk

Give RealTalk MS a rating and review
http://www.realtalkms.com/review

Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com.

RealTalk MS Episode 388
Guest: Dr. Ashutosh Mangalam