Antonios Katsoulas

Despite recent advances in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, there are still limited effective therapies for progressive forms of the disease — particularly Secondary-Progressive MS (SPMS), where disability accumulates. Current options primarily target the adaptive immune system and fail to halt long-term disability driven by smoldering, innate immune-driven inflammation. This form of chronic, low-grade inflammation persists even in patients receiving standard-of-care treatments and is now recognized as a central driver of neurodegeneration in MS.

Antonios Katsoulas and his team are developing a first-in-class small molecule therapy that targets a key innate immune pathway driving disease progression in MS. By modulating this previously untapped mechanism, the team aims to slow or even stop progression in patients who currently have limited viable options.

Progressive forms of MS affect nearly half of the population living with MS and represents a major unmet medical need. The new approach developed by Antonios and his team is not only novel in its mechanism of action but has also shown strong preclinical efficacy and sex-specific benefits, opening the door for more personalized and effective treatments.

While their initial focus is on Secondary-Progressive MS, the approach has the potential to address a broader patient group, including MS patients with smoldering inflammation despite clinical remission — and patients with other chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases where innate immune dysregulation plays a key role.

With this solution, the team is targeting a segment of the global neuroinflammation and MS therapeutics market, which is projected to exceed $30 billion in the coming years.

During the Entrepreneurship Fellowship, the team will focus on completing key in vivo studies, including combination experiments with standard-of-care MS treatments. Other goals in preparation for incorporation and clinical translation include refining the preclinical development strategy, strengthening its market positioning and building strategic partnerships.

Affiliation: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Thorsten Buch

Start date: 1/2025