John DeLuca, PhD

"The idea of medication, cognitive rehab and exercise, might be the wave of the future of how we treat cognitive problems in persons with MS."

At the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis held in Dallas, Texas, John DeLuca, PhD, spoke with 

in an interview to discuss the work that he and colleagues at the Kessler Foundation have developed to help address cognitive problems in multiple sclerosis.

Much of the work at the Kessler Foundation has focused on developing individual therapies like cognitive rehabilitation that teach patients how to utilize techniques in everyday life to improve learning, memory and processing speed. DeLuca explained that the idea of medication, cognitive rehab and exercise might just be the wave of the future for cognitive treatment.

The most recent guidelines from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society say that there needs to be at least annual cognitive assessments with real neuropsychological tests to monitor cognitive problems so patients can be treated adequately. DeLuca emphasized the importance of and need for clinicians to add the assessment of cognitive problems in the clinic to the standard of practice.

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The Senior Vice President for Research and Training at Kessler Foundation spoke about research he and colleagues have developed at the Kessler Foundation to aid with cognitive problems in persons with MS.

John DeLuca, PhD: Addressing Cognitive Problems in MS

"One of the big problems we know in persons with MS is they have cognitive problems as a result of the disease, and right now, there are really no therapies available for addressing the cognitive problems."

At the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis held in Dallas, Texas, John DeLuca, PhD, gave a presentation on the assessment of cognitive processing speed in the SUNBEAM trial based on performance on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT).  Researchers found that compared with interferon beta-1a, ozanimod resulted in sustained improvement in cognitive processing speed through 12 months, further supporting the efficacy of this therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis.

In the total SUNBEAM trial population, 25% of study participants who showed stability at month 6 also showed improvement at month 12. Among those who demonstrated improvement in SDMT score at month 6, greater proportions treated with ozanimod HCI 0.5 mg and 1 mg than with interferon beta-1a sustained improvement at month 12 (63% and 66% vs. 56%, respectively).

To provide further insight into the data of this trial and the clinical impact, 

spoke with the Senior Vice President for Research and Training at Kessler Foundation, and professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Department of Neurology at Rutgers University Medical School, in an interview at the meeting.

The Senior Vice President for Research and Training at Kessler Foundation discussed the results of the SUNBEAM trial, which indicated that ozanimod resulted in sustained improvement in cognitive processing speed, supporting its efficacy in relapsing MS.

John DeLuca, PhD

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John DeLuca, PhD: Addressing Cognitive Problems in MS

John DeLuca, PhD: Ozanimod Resulted in Improved Cognitive Processing Speed in Relapsing MS