#146: What is Chronic Smoldering Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis? With Dr. Klarissa Hanja Stürner
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
Release Date: 12/24/2025
#152: EUPATI: Empowering Patient Voices in Medical Research and Innovation with Dr. Ingrid Klingmann
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
This time I speak with Dr. Ingrid Klingmann about empowering patient voices in medical research and innovation. Dr. Klingmann is one of the initiators of EUPATI, a European initiative dedicated to educating patients about the medicines development process. Drawing on her experience as a physician, researcher, and former cancer patient, she explains why informed patients are essential partners in clinical research. The conversation explores how patient education improves clinical trials, why lay summaries matter, and how digital tools can help patients move from passive recipients to active...
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#151: Redesigning life with MS. Paola Escamilla Greenham on advocacy, empowerment & purpose
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
In this episode of the MS Perspektive Podcast, Nele von Horsten speaks with Paola Escamilla Greenham, MS patient advocate and patient experience designer living in Grenoble, France. Paola shares how her life with multiple sclerosis reshaped her priorities and led her toward patient advocacy across Europe. She talks openly about her diagnosis, the emotional shock that followed, and why joy has become her guiding principle in daily life. The conversation explores the importance of community, lived experience in healthcare design, and Paola’s vision for involving patients more meaningfully in...
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#150: Treating chronic smoldering inflammation: How far has research come? With Dr. Boris Kallmann
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
Research News with Dr. Boris Kallmann In this episode of the MS Perspective Podcast, we focus on chronic smoldering inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) – a process that can drive slow disease progression, even when relapses no longer occur. I speak with Dr. Boris Kallmann, neurologist and MS specialist, about how these subtle changes develop, how they can be recognized in everyday clinical practice, and which treatment options are available today – and may become available in the near future. 👉 You can also read the full interview on my blog, where this episode is available as a...
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#149: What Your Mouth Reveals About MS. Prof. Dr. Ashutosh Mangalam on the Oral Microbiome and Future Therapies
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
What can your mouth tell us about multiple sclerosis? In this episode of the MS-Perspektive Podcast, Professor Dr. Ashutosh Mangalam, immunologist and microbiome researcher at the University of Iowa, shares fascinating insights into the oral microbiome and multiple sclerosis. While most MS research focuses on the gut, this conversation highlights why oral bacteria and their metabolites may also play an important role in inflammation, immune regulation, and disease activity. We talk about what the microbiome is, how the oral microbiome differs in people with MS, and why beneficial bacteria are...
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#148: Recognizing silent progression in MS with Prof. Dr. Heinz Wiendl
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
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#147: Annual Review 2025 & Outlook 2026
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
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#146: What is Chronic Smoldering Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis? With Dr. Klarissa Hanja Stürner
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
This episode was supported by Sanofi S.A. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Klarissa Hanja Stürner about chronic smoldering inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS)—a slow, often hidden process that may drive disease progression even when relapses and MRI activity appear stable. Dr. Stürner explains how chronic inflammation behind the blood–brain barrier differs from acute relapse-related inflammation, why it is so difficult to detect with current imaging, and which warning signs people with MS should take seriously. We also discuss PIRA (Progression Independent of Relapse Activity), the...
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#145: From Mental Health to Lifestyle Change: What Recent MS Research Means for Everyday Life. An ECTRIMS 2025 Special
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
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#144: Accessible Adventures: How Kristen Turned a Wheelchair Journey into Empowerment
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
In this episode, wheelchair padel athlete and clinical research expert Kristen Paskins shares how she rebuilt her confidence after suddenly losing her mobility in 2022. Traveling alone with a wheelchair for the first time — to attend the EUPATI training in Madrid — became a turning point in her journey toward independence, advocacy, and self-discovery. You can read through the interview on my blog: We talk honestly about the emotional and practical realities of traveling with a wheelchair, including airport challenges, accessibility barriers, fears, resilience, and the unexpected wins...
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#143: How menopause impacts MS. Hormones, biomarkers, and what women need to know with Dr. Riley Bove
MS-Perspektive – the Multiple Sclerosis Podcast
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info_outlineThis episode was supported by Sanofi S.A.
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Klarissa Hanja Stürner about chronic smoldering inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS)—a slow, often hidden process that may drive disease progression even when relapses and MRI activity appear stable.
Dr. Stürner explains how chronic inflammation behind the blood–brain barrier differs from acute relapse-related inflammation, why it is so difficult to detect with current imaging, and which warning signs people with MS should take seriously. We also discuss PIRA (Progression Independent of Relapse Activity), the role of microglia and macrophages, and why new treatment approaches such as BTK inhibitors are considered a promising step forward in MS research.
This episode offers a clear, evidence-based, and hopeful perspective for anyone who wants to better understand MS progression beyond relapses.
📝 Read the full article on the MS-Perspective blog for a detailed written summary of the conversation: https://ms-perspektive.de/EN/146-dr-stuerner
Topics covered in this episode
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What chronic smoldering inflammation in MS means
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Differences between acute relapses and smoldering inflammation
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Inflammation behind the blood–brain barrier
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Why MRI often fails to detect these processes
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Clinical red flags for progression without relapses
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PIRA explained in simple terms
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The role of microglia and macrophages in MS
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BTK inhibitors as a new therapeutic approach
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Current challenges and future directions in MS research
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Many thanks to Dr. Stürner for the insightful interview and this positive outlook on the present and the future.
See you soon and try to make the best out of your life,
Nele
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