Novartis Resarch Day 2.0

On January 15–16, the Novartis Research Day 2.0 brought the MS research community together in Berlin for two inspiring days of scientific exchange, discussion, and learning.

Throughout the meeting, we gained valuable insights into current and emerging topics in MS research. Discussions highlighted the importance of biomarkers such as sNfL and sGFAP, the evolving role of OCT in MS diagnostics, and how data science and AI are accelerating discoveries in neuroscience. Innovative omics technologies and neurophysiological approaches such as NIBS further demonstrated how methodological advances are shaping both basic and translational MS research.

A special highlight of Research Day 2026 was the Oppenheim Funding Award for Multiple Sclerosis 2025, which was awarded to one of our colleagues: Dr. Thanos Tsaktanis. His work exemplifies the strong link between scientific innovation and clinical relevance in MS research.

The meeting also placed a strong emphasis on early-career scientists and new ideas. During the Poster Awards, Julia Zissler, also from our goup, received the Poster Award for Best Innovative Method for her work on the specific isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from serum, an approach that opens new possibilities for biomarker and translational research in MS.

Research Day 2.0 – MS 2026 once again showed how much we can learn from open exchange across disciplines and career stages. We thank all speakers, contributors, and participants for sharing their expertise, ideas, and enthusiasm and for making this event such a rewarding experience.