As we head off, we’ll leave you with today’s highlights. 

It’s been a busy afternoon. Did you know during the Symposium there are three sessions running concurrently? There’s so much ground to cover in just three days. With a virtual element too, we’re focused on inclusivity. 

On the session covering nutritional and respiratory management, Marcel Weinreich explained an AI tool which helps doctors predict when people will need a feeding tube. The tool uses basic health information and weight changes to make personalised predictions. It was tested in several countries and found to be accurate and reliable. This could help doctors and people with MND plan treatment better, improving comfort and care. Read more on our support for Tube feeding research. 

Meaghan Joyce from Australia talked about how people with MND struggle to eat and may need a feeding tube. A study of 103 patients investigated how a feeding tube affects weight and survival. The takeaways are: 

• Starting tube feeding before losing too much weight (less than 10% of body weight) helps patients keep weight on and live longer.
• About half lost weight after having a feeding tube fitted, some gained, and some stayed the same.
• Moderate weight at the time of having a feeding tube fitted was linked to better survival.
• Working with a full care team and involving patients in the decision improves the person’s experience. 

The indication in this study is that having a feeding tube fitted before major weight loss is better for maintaining weight and living longer. 

On another theme, Dr Jessica Lops from Italy discussed her observational study on digestive problems, especially indigestion and constipation. These issues are common and can be quite severe, affecting breathing and quality of life. Men and those with swallowing difficulties are more likely to have indigestion, while constipation is more common in younger patients. Recognising and managing these symptoms helps with care planning. 

Dr Christos Chalitsios shared his work looking into blood biomarkers for MND and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in the Preclinical and Prodromal ALS session. Using data from 2,695 people with MND and 781 people with FTD, he found changes in some blood markers, including cholesterol, were associated with the risk of developing MND.  

Cholesterol was only associated with a higher risk of MND in people over 60 and wasn’t associated with the risk of developing FTD. His results suggest that MND and FTD have different blood biomarker profiles, even though they’re closely related diseases. Further research is needed to see if this could support future screening and preventative measures for people at risk of developing MND or FTD. 

We’ve put together some key learnings from the session focused on MND before symptoms and also before symptoms are clinically significant.

As promised, we’ve put together a roundup of the biomarkers session. Click at the bottom to read more.  

It was great to see so many introductions being made and discussions happening over lunch. So many attendees say the time outside of formal sessions is as valuable as the talks themselves.