By Drs. Kathrin Doppler and Vincent Timmerman

Besides the pathophysiology of peripheral nerve diseases and diagnostic studies, an increasing number of therapeutic approaches were discussed regarding hereditary, autoimmune, toxic, and other neuropathies.

Major points of interest were:

• The role of SARM1 and its inhibition as a therapeutic target was discussed during the Education Day as well as in several other talks.
• Single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics as new technologies were highlighted during the Education Day, by plenary speakers, and in several other presentations.
• Recent data on autoreactive T cell immunity in GBS provide new pathophysiological insights into acute autoimmune neuropathies.
• Education Day also offered excellent overviews on a novel metabolic concept of Schwann cell-mediated axon repair and on understanding peripheral neuropathies using transcriptomics.

Prize Winners:

• The Peter J. Dyck Prize for Research in Diabetic Neuropathies was awarded to Stephanie Shiers, who used spatial RNA sequencing of DRG from organ donors with diabetic neuropathy and found evidence of abundant ligand-receptor interactions.
• Maaz Khan received the J. W. Griffin Prize for Research in Regeneration for his presentation on senescent macrophages in aged mice and the effect of senolytic treatment, offering new insights into the interaction between cellular senescence and inflammation in peripheral nerves.
• The Richard and Mary Bunge Prize for Outstanding Insights in Nerve Biology was given to Roberta De Blasis, who described a protective effect of SARM1 deletion in CMT2J using a mouse model.
• Jihane Gadacha was awarded the Anita Harding Prize, given in honor of a female pioneer and awarded to a female presenting author, for the description of a new bi-allelic mutation in the KCTD11 gene as a cause of intermediate CMT.
• The Arthur K. Asbury Prize for Research in the Field of GBS/CIDP/Inflammatory Neuropathies was awarded to Rafael Klimas for the description of two cases of autoantibody-positive, treatment-refractory autoimmune neuropathy that showed an impressive response to anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy.
• Maria Landinez Macias received the P. K. Thomas Prize for Contribution to the Field of Inherited Neuropathies for her presentation on AAV9-mediated delivery of tRNA-Gly in a mouse model of CMT-GlyRS, which prevented all CMT hallmarks.
• The Jonathan Pembroke Prize, awarded to a young researcher working in Australia, South Asia, or New Zealand, was given to Kayla Cornett for her work on the prevalence and impact of patient-reported tiredness in pediatric CMT.
• Merel Huijg received the Richard A. C. Hughes Prize for Outstanding Clinical Research for her analysis of a large cohort of patients with chronic axonal neuropathy, which provided evidence of increased mortality in these patients.

Clinical Advances:

• A digital tool to simplify the use of guidelines for CIDP diagnosis was introduced.
• CD19-targeting CAR T cells in autoimmune diseases were introduced during the Education Day, and successful treatment in autoimmune neuropathies was presented in the platform sessions.
• Promising data on the treatment of CMT-SORD with aldose reductase inhibitors were presented during the Clinical Highlight Session.
• Considering new treatment options for autoimmune neuropathies, improved clinical outcomes after treatment with tanruprubart in GBS were reported, as well as symptom improvement after a single dose of imlifidase. In CIDP, clinical effects of riliprubart and reduced plasma-NfL levels were reported, and it was shown that efgartigimod induced and maintained therapeutic effects in pretreated participants.

Basic Research Advances:

• Repair strategies in diseases of the peripheral nervous system were highlighted during the J. W. Griffin Lecture (Ruth Stassart) and provided novel insights into peripheral nerve pathomechanisms.
• Multi-omics integration in diabetic peripheral neuropathy revealed distinct pathways associated with the presence and intensity of neuropathic pain. This also demonstrated how omics knowledge can be extrapolated across the PNS field.
• Highlights were also presented during the Mini Symposia, including:
  • The multicellular regulation of axon degeneration and regeneration in peripheral nerve repair.
  • Aging and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: understanding the role of the neuromuscular junction in disease progression and physical decline.