Welcome to Stockholm

Dear colleagues and friends

On behalf of ECTRIMS and its Executive Committee, it is our pleasure to welcome you to Stockholm for the 35th Congress from 11 - 13 September 2019.

Some of you may remember that in 1998, the 14th ECTRIMS Congress took place in Stockholm. That year, we saw an all-time high in terms of participation, an astounding 1,700 researchers, clinicians, pharma representatives etc. participated reflecting the rapid development of the MS field. Now, more than 20 years further into the era of disease modifying treatments in MS, the field has grown rapidly and we would expect 5 times the number of delegates. As our understanding of MS and its treatment has grown rapidly during these years, we find this highly adequate, there is only so much new knowledge to share and discuss every year more than well motivating a great event such as an ECTRIMS congress performed annually.

Together with the local organising committee we have prepared a programme that we believe represents the many new developments in all areas of multiple sclerosis, including epidemiology, genetics, pathology, biomarkers, imaging, immunology and treatment.

This year we have chosen to give special attention to one of the major remaining unmet needs in MS: to fill the void of efficient treatment for progressive MS. For this to be achieved we need to improve our understanding in many aspects, including risk factors and mechanisms, imaging, biomarkers, study design and novel treatment approaches.

The programme will also offer Educational Sessions, Plenary Lectures, Free Communications selected from abstracts, as well as Hot Topic, Young Investigator and Poster Sessions in order to promote a vivid interaction between the congress participants. This year the congress partners again with the Annual Conference of Rehabilitation in MS (RIMS).

Again, the core programme will begin on Wednesday morning and end on Friday evening. With any luck, in early September, Stockholm will be at its best as a summer city on the Baltic where clear skies and clear water meet a lively and rapidly growing city well worth visiting.

We look forward to welcoming you in Stockholm in September 2019!