From Early Beginnings to International Excellence

For more than three decades, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research in Basel has shaped the international scientific landscape. What began in the early 1990s with the first steps towards a dedicated comprehensive MS Clinic and leadership in first international clinical studies, has evolved into a globally recognised centre for innovative therapies and translational progress. Basel's role as a leading global research hub in MS research evolved into the Research Center for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience Basel (RC2NB) which was founded in 2019 under the governance of the University Hospital and the University of Basel. 

Research groups from Basel have been involved in the development of almost all MS therapies established today. At the same time, new methods for assessing the course of the disease were developed: Biomarkers such as neurofilament light, innovative MRI techniques and digital assessments have decisively advanced clinical research and patient care. 

As a consequence of the exceptional achievements over decades and in particular the last years, Prof. Ludwig Kappos  has been awarded the prestigious Charcot Award presented at the ECTRIMS Congress in Barcelona. This prize recognises his decades of internationally influential contributions to the field of Multiple Sclerosis - an honour that also reflects the strength and visibility of the entire MS research community in Basel.  

A series of presentations by the team from Basel at the ECTRIMS Congress 2025 underscored the excellence of MS Research in Basel: These included oral presentations by Pascal Benkert, PhD and Sabine Schädelin, MSc from the DKF, who presented two well-received talks on the latest scientific work from Prof. Jens Kuhle's research group, highlighting the use of serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) and serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) as long-term disease progression biomarkers.

​

​