"Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis"
April 14-16, 2004, Washington D.C.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with several mechanisms contributing sequentially or simultaneously to its pathophysiology. Biomarkers, accompanying and able to dissect these processes promise tremendous value for (1) diagnostics and stratification of subcategories for MS and of disease stages (2) prediction of disease course, (3) treatment selection and improved prognosis for treatment success, and (4) the evaluation of novel therapeutics. Though it is unlikely that one of these markers could function as a true surrogate, biomarkers can provide insight into the mechanism of action of a drug and could suffice for the pre-screening of prospective therapeutics. The study of biomarkers has been strongly endorsed by the NIH Autoimmune Disease Coordinating Committee and was proposed by a committee the Institute of Medicine assembled on behest of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The goal of this NINDS workshop on "Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis" was the characterization and evaluation of biomarkers with relevance to MS disease processes such as inflammation, demyelination, oxidative stress, axonal damage, and remyelination and of their usefulness to advance categories 1 to 4 listed above.
Organized by Drs. Martin, Utz, Bielekova and Hohlfeld, an international group of 86 participants that included NIH staff, basic researchers, clinicians, and industry and FDA representatives explored the current state of biomarker research for MS, barriers to progress, possible solutions and priorities. The conclusions of the workshop are planned to appear in a special edition of the journal "Disease Markers".
Several pathophysiological processes such as inflammation, demyelination, axonal damage and repair mechanisms contribute in the complex disease manifestation of MS. These processes are not uniformly represented across patient populations and can selectively predominate in individual patients. The varying degrees of involvement contribute to the observed heterogeneity in phenotypic expression of the disease, its prognosis and the response to therapies. Successful therapeutic intervention is currently assumed to require a combination of different therapeutic strategies that would target individual dominant pathophysiological processes. Such process-specific therapies will require the use of biomarkers to aid in the identification of the dominant mechanisms, in the selection of appropriate patient populations, and in the initial screening for efficacious agents. The coordinated efforts and continuing discussions of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) over the last 15 years have helped to advance the field and have made MRI the most advanced biomarker candidate for MS. The NINDS workshop on "Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis" intended to initiate discussion on similar collaborative efforts for non-imaging biomarkers such as gene expression, and disease-correlated fluctuations of biological molecules including radicals, lipids, and peptides.
The following were among the questions addressed at the workshop:What is the current state of biomarker research in MS? In which areas can biomarkers already be employed, e.g. does the available data allow the use of biomarkers for prognostic or treatment decisions? Are biomarkers from blood or cerebrospinal fluid useful to separate the different phenotypic aspects of MS and do they at least to some extent reflect the underlying disease process, e.g. contribution of immune factors versus vulnerability of the central nervous system to damage? Finally, how can we link biomarker research including genomics and proteomics with magnetic resonance imaging-, clinical-, genetic- and pathological studies in the future?
The workshop began with an introduction into MS disease pathogenesis (Dr. Hohlfeld) and a statement of the workshop goals (Dr. Martin). The presentations were followed by a discussion of biomarker versus surrogate endpoint (Dr. Atkinson) which defined the latter as a substitute for a clinically meaningful endpoint that would accurately predict the effect of a therapeutic intervention. Talks on the role of biomarkers in therapeutic development programs (Dr. Walton) and for MS specifically (Dr. Bielekova) introduced presentations on types of biomarkers for MS such as neuroimaging (Dr. Arnold), biomarkers indicative of peripheral activation (Drs. Ransohoff, Berger, Khoury), of blood brain barrier disruption (Dr. Waubant), and of lesion formation and repair (Drs. Giovannoni, Werner). Day 2 concluded with presentations on biomarker disease examples such as cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Drs. Srivastava, Bowser) and technologies for biomarker discovery such as antigen and DNA microarrays, proteomics and SNP analysis (Drs. Steinman, Stephan, Kantor, Hafler). Day 3 was dedicated to debate in three break-out groups termed 1) Diagnosis (MS categorization and disease course prediction); 2) Treatment (Drug screening and treatment outcome prediction); and 3) Making it Happen (Sample types and collection methods / Storage / Data collection / Natural history studies versus clinical trials / Assay standardization and validation). The discussions led to the following conclusions and recommendations.
The approval of immunomodulatory therapies has made placebo-controlled trials ethically questionable. Trials of novel therapeutics are now conducted as add-on studies and are expected to show smaller treatment effects above and beyond the approved therapeutics. This in turn leads to a need for larger samples sizes (a problem for the limited MS patient population) and longer trial duration and ultimately cost inflation. Biomarkers are expected to gain increasing importance in the pre-screening and evaluation of drugs before costly phase III efficacy trials are undertaken. Currently, there is no biomarker that could serve this purpose, except for potentially the use of neuroimaging.
Biomarkers that predict therapy responses or identify disease subtypes might be most in reach and would serve important purposes such as cost savings by avoiding treatment failures and increase of statistical power for clinical trials via improved patient stratification. Biomarkers that help with MS diagnostic or would predict disease progression might be harder to come by. It was felt that true surrogate markers that could replace clinical outcome measures as primary endpoints for clinical trials would not be available for years to come if ever.
The groups saw a need for both hypothesis- and discovery-driven approaches to biomarker discovery. Some of the presented technologies and their potentials raised enthusiasm about discovery-driven approaches which by some were seen as less hampered by pre-conceived notions about disease pathology.
Participants agreed that biomarker data would best be gathered in conjunction with a clinical trial. Biomarker studies require similar phenotype characterizations and logistics and have the same statistical requirements. It was suggested that EVERY treatment trial should include a biomarker component. Biomarker stand-alone studies could be undertaken, but would be uneconomical as they would require similar infrastructure and stringent requirements as in a clinical trial. Sample repositories and data banks are needed as are validations of assays and the resolution of intellectual property issues for biomarker data gathered in conjunction with industry-sponsored trials. The NIAID Immune Tolerance Network and the NCI Early Detection Research Network were discussed in this context. Finally, an appeal was made for funding agencies to provide mechanisms that would accommodate the requirements for biomarker proposals. This would mean a shortening of the review cycle to allow piggy-backing with a parent clinical trial such as achieved by NIH's RFA "Hyperaccelerated Award/Mechanism in Immunomodulation Trials". It would also mean special study sections with expertise and an appreciation of such studies..
Jack Antel, M.D.
Professor
McGill University
Montreal Neurological Institute
Department of Neurology
3801 University Street, Room 111
Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4
Canada
Tel: 514-398-8550
Fax: 514-398-7371
Email: jack.antel@mcgill.ca
Douglas L. Arnold, M.D.
Professor
McGill University
Montreal Neurological Institute
Department of Neurology
3801 University Street, WB321
Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4
Canada
Tel: 514-398-8185
Fax: 514-398-2975
Email: doug@mrs.mni.mcgill.ca
cc: ellie@mrs.mni.mcgill.ca
Arthur J. Atkinson, Jr., M.D.
Senior Advisor in Clinical Pharmacology
National Institutes of Health
Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center
10 Center Drive
Building 10, Room 1C-227
Bethesda, MD 20892-1165
Tel: 301-435-8791
Fax: 301-480-7307
Email: aatkinson@cc.nih.gov
Scott R. Barnum, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Department of Microbiology
845 19th Street South
Bevill Biomedical Sciences Research Building, Room 842
Birmingham, AL 35294
Tel: 205-934-4972
Fax: 205-934-4985
Email: sbarnum@uab.edu
Amit Bar-Or, M.D.
Assistant Professor
McGill University
Montreal Neurological Institute
Department of Neurology-Neurosurgery and Microbiology-Immunology
3801 University Street, Room 111
Montreal, Quebec, H3A2B4
Canada
Tel: 514-398-5132
Fax: 514-398-7371
Email: amit.bar-or@staff.mcgill.ca
Karen Bateman
Program Analyst
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
6001 Executive Boulevard
Neruoscience Center Building, Room 2121A
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-496-1431
Fax: 301-480-2424
Email: kb287y@nih.gov
Thomas Berger, M.D.
Professor
University of Innsbruck
Department of Neurology
Anichstrasse 35
Innsbruck, A-6020, Austria
Tel: +43-512-504-3860
Fax: +43-512-504-4260
Email: Thomas.berger@uibk.ac.at
Christopher T. Bever. M.D.
Professor of Neurology
Director, VA MS Center of Excellence-East
University of Maryland / Baltimore VAMC
Department of Neurology
22 South Greene Street, Room N4W4C
Baltimore, MD 21201
Tel: 410-605-7061
Fax: 410-605-7937
Email: Christopher.bever@med.va.gov
Bibiana Bielekava
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
10 Center Drive
Building 10, Room 5B16
Bethesda, MD 20892-1400
Tel: (301) 496-1801
Fax: (301) 402-0373
Email: BielekoB@ninds.nih.gov
Dennis Bourdette, M.D.
Chairman
Oregon Health and Science University
Department of Neurology
3181 Southwest Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland, OR 94239
Tel: 503-494-7321
Fax: 503-494-7242
Email: bourdett@ohsu.edu
cc: hendryk@ohsu.edu
Robert P. Bowser, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine
Department of Pathology
200 Lothrop Street
Biomedical Science Tower, Room S-420
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Tel: 412-383-7819
Fax: 412-648-1916
Email: bowser@np.awing.upmc.edu
cc: Bowserrp@upmc.edu
Christopher Bredeson, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Medical College of Wisconsin
International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry
8701 Watertown Plank Road
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Tel: 414-456-8787
Fax: 414-456-6530
Email: bredeson@mcw.edu
cc: sandee@mcw.edu
Celia F. Brosnan, Ph.D.
Professor
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Department of Pathology and Neuroscience
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, NY 10464
Tel: 718-430-2140
Fax: 718-430-3259
Email: brosnan@aecom.yu.edu
Peter A. Calabresi, M.D.
Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 North Wolfe Street
Department of Pathology, # 627
Baltimore, MD 21287-6965
Tel: 410-614-1522
Fax: 410-502-6736
Email: calabresi@jhmi.edu
Timothy Coetzee, Ph.D.
Director Research Training Programs
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
733 Third Avenue, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 476-0478
Fax: (212) 986-7981
Email: timothy.coetzee@nmss.org
cc: paula.grant@nmss.org
Martin Daumer, M.D.
Deputy Scientific Director
Sylvia Lawry Centre for Multiple Sclerosis Research
1 Smaninger Str. 22 c/o 1MSE
Munich, D-81675
Germany
Tel: +49-89-4140-4358
Fax: +41-89-4140-6049
Email: daumer@slcmsr.org
cc: hamschild@clcmsr.org
Tobias J. Derfuss, M.D.
Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology
Department of Neuroimmunology
Am Klopferspitz 18
D-82152 Martinsried
Germany
Tel: +49-89-8578-3581
Fax: +49-89-8578-3519
Email: tsderfus@neuro.mpg.de
Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, M.D.
Professor and Chair
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Department of Neurology
97 Paterson Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-0019
Tel: 732-235-7732
Fax: 732-235-7041
Email: jalbutsu@umdnj.edu
cc: prescoem@umdnj.edu
Thomas R. Esch, Ph.D.
Program Officer
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation
6610 Rockledge Drive, Room 3022
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-451-8851
Fax: 301-480-1450
Email: tesch@nih.gov
Gordon S. Francis
Vice President
Serono, Inc.
Department of Neurology
One Technology Place
Rockland, MA 02370
Tel: 781-681-2192
Fax: 781-681-2902
Email: Gordon.francis@serono.com
cc: Patricia.mattos@serono.com
Joseph A. Frank, M.D.
Chief of Experimental Neuroimaging Section
National Institutes of Health
Laboratory of Diagnostic Radiology Research
9000 Rockville Pike
Building 10, Room BIN256
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-402-3586
Fax: 301-402-3216
Email: jafrank@helix.nih.gov
cc: twilliams2@cc.nih.gov
Mark Freedman, M.D.
The Ottawa Hospital – General Campus
Division of Neurology
501 Smyth Road, Room 6350, Box 601
Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8L6
Canada
Tel: 613-737-8917
Fax: 613-737-8857
Email: mfreedman@ottawahospital.on.ca
Paul A. Fronhna, M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D.
Medical Director of Biotherapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology Genentech
1 DNA Way, MS84
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Tel: 650-225-5803
Fax: 650-225-3117
Email: pharmer@gene.com
Gavin Giovannoni, Ph.D.
Institute of Neurology
University College London
National Hospital for Neurology and Neruosurgery
Department of Neuroinflamation
Queen Square
London WC1N 3BG
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-20-7837-3611
Fax: +44-20-7837-8553
Email: g.giovannoni@ion.ucl.ac.uk
cc: joalsop@ion.ucl.ac.uk
Elizabeth Gretz, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Immunology and Inflammation Program
6701 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 800
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-594-5032
Fax: 301-480-4543
Email: gretze@mail.nih.gov
Linda Griffith, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Officer
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation
6610 Rockledge Drive
Room 3025, MSC 6601
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-496-7104
Fax: 301-480-1450
Email: lgriffith@niaid.nih.gov
David A. Hafler, M.D.
Breakston Professor of Neurology
Harvard Medical School
Department of Neurology
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: 617-525-5330
Fax: 617-525-5333
Email: dhafler@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
cc: egoldings@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Bernhard Hemmer, M.D.
Associate Professor
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
Deparmtent of Neurology
Moorenstraße 5
40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Tel: +49-211-811-9296
Fax: +49-211-811-8469
Email: beruhard.hemmer@uni-duesseldorf.de
Reinhard Hohlfeld, M.D.
Professor
Institut für Klinische Neuroimmunologie
Klinikum der LMU München, Großhadern
Marchioninistr. 15
D-81377 München
Germany
Tel: +49-089-7095-4780
Fax: +49-089-7095-4782
Email: Reinhard.Hohlfeld@med.uni-muenchen.de
Thomas P. Jacobs, Ph.D.
Program Director
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Neural Environment
6001 Executive Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20892
Tel: 301-496-1431
Fax: 301-480-2424
Email: tj12g@nih.gov
Steven Jacobson
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
10 Center Drive
Building 10, Room 5B16
Bethesda, MD 20892-1400
Tel: (301) 496-1801
Fax: (301) 402-0373
Email: JacobsonS@ninds.nih.gov
Aaron B. Kantor, Ph.D.
Director
SurroMed
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
1430 O'Brien Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Tel: 650-420-2302
Fax: 650 420 2400
Email: akantor@surromed.com
Samia J. Khoury, M.D.
Associate Professor
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Harvard Institutes of Medicine/Harvard Medical School
Department of Neurology
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: 617-525-5370
Fax: 617-525-5252
Email: ckhoury@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Rivka Kreitman, Ph.D.
Vice President, Innovative R & D
Teva Neuroscience
1090 Horsham Road
North Wales, PA 19454
Tel: 215-591-8645
Fax: 215-591-8826
Email: rivka.kreitman@tevaneuro.com
cc: lori.messner@tevaneuro.com
Story Landis, Ph.D.
Director
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
31 Center Drive
Building 31, Room 8A52
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: (301) 496-9746
Email: landiss@ninds.nih.gov
Paul V. Lehmann, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Case Western Reserve University
Department of Pathology
20900 Euclid Avenue, BRB 923
Cleveland, OH 44118
Tel: 216-321-0480
Fax: 216-368-1357
Email: pvl2@po.cwru.edu
cc: pvl@immunospot.com
David Leppert, P.D. Dr. med.
University Hospitals Basel
Departments of Neurology and Research
Petersgraben 4
Basel, CH-4031
Switzerland
Tel: +011-41-61-265-4166
Fax: +011-41-61-265-5638
Email: david.leppert@unibas.ch
cc: dleppert@uhbs.ch
Michael C. Levin, M.D.
Associate Professor
University of Tennessee Memphis
Department of Neurology
855 Monroe Avenue
Link Building, # 415
Memphis, TN 38163
Tel: 901-448-2243
Fax: 901-448-7440
Email: mlevin@utmem.edu
Roland Liblau, M.D., Ph.D.
Hospital de Rangueil
Department of Immunology
1 Avenue Jean-Poulhes
TSA 50032
31059 Toulouse Cedex 9
France
Tel: +33-561-323-432
Fax: +33-561-323-424
Email: rolandliblau@hotmail.com
Fred D. Lublin, M.D.
Director
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis
Department of Neurology
5 East 98th Street
New York, NY 10029
Tel: 212 241 6854
Fax: 212 423 0440
Email: fred.lublin@mssm.edu
Silva Markovic-Plese, M.D.
Associate Professor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
6109 Neuroscience Research Building
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Tel: 919-966-3701
Fax: 919-843-4576
Email: markovics@glial.med.unc.edu
Roland Martin, M.D.
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
10 Center Drive
Building 10, Room 5B16
Bethesda, MD 20892-1400
Tel: (301) 496-1801
Lab: (301) 402-4488
Fax: (301) 402-0373
Email: martinr@ninds.nih.gov
Henry McFarland
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
10 Center Drive
Building 10, Room 5B16
Bethesda, MD 20892-1400
Tel: (301) 496-1801
Fax: (301) 402-0373
Email: mcfarlandh@ninds.nih.gov
Edgar Meinl, M.D.
Professor
Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology
Department of Neuroimmunology
Am Klopferspitz 18,
D-82152 Martinsried
Germany
Tel: +49-89-8578-3519
Fax: +49-89-8995-0163
Email: Meinl@neuro.mpg.de
Paolo A. Muraro, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Fellow
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Neuroimmunology Branch
10 Center Drive, MSC 1400
Building 10, Room 5B16
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-594-7217
Fax: 301-402-0373
Email: murarop@ninds.nih.gov
Richard A. Nash, M.D.
Associate Professor/Associate Member
University of Washington
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Transplantation Biology Department
Clinical Research Division
1100 Fairview Avenue North
PO Box 19024
Seattle, WA 98109-1024
Tel: 206-667-4978
Fax: 206-667-6124
Email: rnash@fhcrc.org
John H. Noseworthy, M.D.
Chair
Mayo Clinic Rochester
College of Medicine
Department of Neurology
200 First Street Southwest
Rochester, MN 55905
Tel: 507-284-2675
Fax: 507-226-0178
Email: noseworthy.john@mayo.edu
Tomas Olsson, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Neuro & Immunology Unit
Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Karolinska Hospital
CMM L8:04
17176, Stockholm
Sweden
Phone:+46-8-5177-6242
Fax: +46-8-5177-6248
Email: Tomas.Olsson@cmm.ki.sc
Patricia A. O'Looney, Ph.D.
Director of Biomedical Research Programs
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Research Programs Department
733 Third Avenue, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212-476-0413
Fax: 212-986-7981
Email: patricia.olooney@nmss.org
Gilmore O'Neill, M.B., M.Med.Sc.
Associate Director
Biogen IDEC
Clinical Development Neurology
14 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
Tel: 617-914-4725
Fax: 617-679-3518
Harry Openshew, M.D.
Medical Officer
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation
6610 Rockledge Drive
Room 3025, MSC 6601
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-496-7104
Fax: 301-480-1450
Kirti R. Patel, Ph.D., M.D.
Senior Scientist
Aventis Pharmaceuticals CNS, Target Validation MS Team
5203A, 1041 Route 202-206
Bridgewater , NJ 08844
Tel: 908-231-2631
Email: kirti.patel@aventis.com
Steven Pavletic, M.D.
Head, Graft-Versus-Host and Autoimmunity Unit
National Institutes of Health
National Cancer Institute
Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892-1907
Tel: 301-402-4899
Fax: 301-435-2044
Email: pavletis@mail.nih.gov
Audrey S. Penn, M.D.
Deputy Director
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
31 Center Drive , MSC 2540
Building 31 , Room 8A52
Bethesda , MD 20892-2540
Tel: 301-496-3167
Fax: 301-496-0296
Email: ap101d@nih.gov
A. John Petkau, Ph.D.
Professor
University of British Columbia
Department of Statistics
333-6356 Agricultural Road
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6T 1Z2
Canada
Tel: 604-822-4673
Fax: 604-822-6960
Email: john@stat.ubc.ca
Michael K. Racke, M.D.
Professor
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Department of Neurology and the Center for Immunology
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75390-9036
Tel: 214-648-2330
Fax: 214-648-9129
Email: Michael.racke@utsouthwestern.edu
Richard M. Ransohoff, M.D.
Staff Neurologist
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Lerner College of Medicine
Department of Neuroscience
9500 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44195
Tel: 216-444-0627
Fax: 216-444-7927
Email: ransohr@ccf.org
Stephen C. Reingold, Ph.D.
Vice President
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Research Programs Department
733 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017-3288
Tel: 212-476-0411
Fax: 212-986-7981
Email: stephen.reingold@nmss.org
John R. Richert, M.D.
Professor and Chair
Georgetown University Medical Center
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
3900 Reservoir Road, NW
Washington, DC 20057
Tel: 202-687-1513
Fax: 202-687-1800
Email: richertj@georgetown.edu
John W. Rose, M.D.
Professor
VA Medical Center
Neurology Office
500 Foothill Boulevard
Salt Lake City, UT 84148
Tel: 801-584-1292
Fax: 801-582-6908
Email: jrose@howard.genetics.utah.edu
Noel R. Rose, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology
Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Autoimmune Disease Research
Bloomberg School of Public Health
MMI-E5014
615 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21205
Tel: 410-955-0330
Fax: 410-955-0105
Email: nrrose@jhmi.edu
Richard A. Rudick, M.D.
Director, Mellen Center
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Department of Neurology
9500 Euclid Avenue, U-10
Cleveland, OH 44195
Tel: 216-444-8603
Fax: 216-445-7013
Email: rudickr@ccf.org
cc: lansok@ccf.org
Edgar F. Salazar-Grueso, M.D.
Vice President
Head Corporate Clinical Development CNS/CV
Berlex Pharmaceuticals
PO Box 1000
Montville, NJ 07045-1000
Tel: 993-487-2760
Fax: 707-988-8574
Email: edger_salazar-grueso@berlex.com
cc: susan_windecker@berlex.com
Rupert Sandbrink, M.D., Ph.D.
Department Head
Schering AG
Clinical Development CNS
Sellerstrasse 31
D-13442 Berlin
Germany
Tel: +49-30-468-17292
Fax: +49-30-468-18243
Email: Rupert.sandbrink@schering.de
cc: birgit.grund@schering.de
Benjamin M. Segal, M.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Rochester
School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
Neuroimmunology Unit
Rochester Multiple Sclerosis Center
601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 605
Rochester, NY 14642
Tel: 585-273-3963
Fax: 585-275-9953
Email:Benjamin_segal@urmc.rochester.edu
Krzysztof W. Selmaj, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Łódź Medical University
Department of Neurology
ul. Kopcińskiego 22
90-153 Łódź
Poland
Tel: +48-42-6776678
Fax: +48-42-678-2293
Email: kselmaj@afazja.am.lodz.pl
Christopher A. Shaw, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of British Columbia
Department of Medicine/Ophthalmology
828 West 102 Avenue, Research Pavilion
Vancouver, British Columbia V57128
Canada
Tel: 604-875-4111
Fax: 604-875-4376
Email: csshawlab@hotmail.com
Per Soelberg Sorensen, M.D.
Professor
RigsHospitalet
Department of Neurology – 2082
9, Blegdamsvej
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Tel: +45-3545-2080
Fax: +45-3545-2626
Email: pss@rh.dk
cc: albert@rh.dk
Sudhir Srivastava, Ph.D., M.P.H.
National Institutes of Health
National Cancer Institute
Cancer Biomarkers Research Group
6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 3147
Rockville, MD 20852
Tel: 301-435-1594
Fax: 301-402-8990
Email: srivasts@mail.nih.gov
Lawrence Steinman, M.D.
Professor of Neurology
Chair of Interdepartmental Program in Immunology
Stanford University
Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Beckman B002
Stanford, CA 94305
Tel: 415-601-3778
Fax: 650-725-0627
Email: Steinman@stanford.edu
Dietrich A. Stephan, Ph.D.
Director TGen, The Translational Genomics Research Institute
Neurogenomics Division
400 North Fifth Street, Suite 1600
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Tel: 602-343-8727
Fax: 602-343-8740
Email: dstephan@tgen.org
cc: jlemna@tgen.org
Paul J. Utz, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Stanford University
Department of Medicine/Immunology and Rheumatology
269 Campus Drive, CCSR 2215A
Stanford, CA 94305
Tel: 650-724-5421
Fax: 650-723-7509
Email: pjutz@stanford.edu
cc: sdickow@standord.edu
Ursula Utz, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institutes of Health
6001 Executive Boulevard Neuroscience Center Building , Room 2134
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tel: 301-496-1431
Fax: 301-480-2424
Email: utzu@ninds.nih.gov
Timothy L. Vollmer, M.D.
Chair
Barrow Neurological Institute
Division of Neurology
350 West Thomas Road, 8BN1
Phoenix, AZ 85013
Tel: 602-406-3390
Fax: 602-406-7161
Email: tvollmer@chw.edu
cc: sconaway@chw.edu
Rhonda R. Voskuhl, M.D.
Professor
University of California, Los Angles
Department of Neurology
Multiple Sclerosis Research and Treatment Program
A-145 Reed Neurological Research Center
710 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Tel: 310-206-4636
Fax: 310-206-9801
Email: rvoskuhl@ucla.edu
Marc K. Walton
Supervisory Medical Officer
CBER
Food and Drug Administration
WOC 2, Room 3047
Rockville, MD 20852
Tel: 301-827-5096
Email: waltonm@cber.fda.gov
Klaus-Peter Wandinger, M.D.
Charite-University Medicine
Institute of Neuroimmunology
Klinische Neuroimmunologie
Schumannstr 20/21
10117 Berlin
Germany
Tel: +49-30-450-539-028
Fax: +49-30-450-539-906
Email: Klaus-peter.wandinger@charite.de
cc: Andrew.mason@charite.de
Emmanuelle L. Waubant, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of California, San Francisco
Multiple Sclerosis Center
350 Parnassus Street, Suite 908
San Francisco, CA 941173
Tel: 415-514-2468
Fax: 415-514-2443
Email: Waubant@itsa.ucsf.edu
Josiah Wedgwood, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Immunodeficiency and Immunopathology Section
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation
6610 Rockledge Drive, Room 3019
Bethesda, Md 20892
Tel: 301-435-4418
Fax: 301-480-1450
Email: jwedgwood@niaid.nih.gov
Howard L. Weiner, M.D.
Robert L. Kroc Professor of Neurology
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Harvard Institutes of Medicine/Harvard Medical School
Department of Neurology
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Room 730
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: 617-525-5300
Fax: 617-525-5252
Email: hweiner@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
cc: mstatham@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Brian G. Weinshenker, M.D.
Professor
Mayo Clinic at Rochester
Department of Neurology
200 First Street Southwest
Rochester, MN 55905
Tel: 507-538-1039
Fax: 507-266-4419
Email: weinb@mayo.edu
cc: abbott.denise@mayo.edu
Peter Werner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Department of Neurology and Pathology (Neuropathology)
F-117, 1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461
Tel: 718-430-3061
Fax: 718-430-8785
Email: pwerner@aecom.yu.edu
cc: peterwerner@yahoo.com
Jerry S. Wolinsky, M.D.
Professor
Department of Neurology
University of Texas
Health Science Center, Houston
6431 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77030
Tel: 713-500-7048
Fax: 713-500-7041
Email: jswolinsky@aol.com
Takashi Yamamura, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP
Department of Immunology
4-1-1 Ogawahigashi, Kodaira,
Tokyo 187-8502
Japan
Tel: +81-42-348-1723
Fax: +81-42-346-1753
Email: yamamura@ncnp.go.jp
V. Wee Yong, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Calgary
Department of Oncology and Clinical Neurosciences
3330 Hospital Drive Northwest
Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1
Canada
Tel: 403-220-3544
Fax: 403-283-8731
Email: vyong@ucalgary.ca
Frauke Zipp, Professor
Charite-University Medicine
Institute of Neuroimmunology
Klinische Neuroimmunologie
Schumannstr 20/21
10117 Berlin
Germany
Tel: +49-30-450-539-028
Fax: +49-30-450-539-906
Email: frauke.zipp@charite.de
cc: Andrew.mason@charite.de
Last updated July 08, 2008