14 OCTOBER 2025, SEOUL/LONDON — At the World Congress of Neurology, Prof. Sean Pittock described how the next generation of therapies could transform autoimmune neurology from a discipline of chronic management to one of potential cures.
He spotlighted a new wave of cell-based treatments that retrain rather than suppress the immune system. One approach under early development uses high-precision CAR-T cells engineered to find and remove only the rogue immune cells that attack the brain and spinal cord — a level of accuracy once thought impossible. Another uses “tolerizing” or in-vivo CAR-T platforms designed to teach the immune system to stop attacking altogether.
“These therapies could give patients years of normal life without continuous medication,” Pittock said. “They’re not about turning the immune system off — they’re about turning it right again.”
Still, a central challenge remains: more than 95% of autoimmune neurological diseases still lack approved treatments, despite precise mechanistic understanding and validated antibodies guiding diagnosis.
Faster, smarter clinical trials are necessary to keep pace with discovery. Current studies often rely on broad disability scales borrowed from other conditions; Pittock urged replacing them with biomarkers and functional outcomes that better capture how patients actually recover. By matching trials to biology, he said, “we can bring effective treatments to patients within years — not decades.”
Citing the success of targeted treatments in neuromyelitis optica, which moved from a disease biomarker (aquaporin-4 antibody) to three approved drugs in less than fifteen years, Pittock predicted similar momentum for a wider range of autoimmune disorders once regulators adopt these more flexible, science-based frameworks.
The next frontier in neurology lies not just in treating disease, but in restoring the body’s natural capacity to heal itself.
“We have the knowledge and the tools,” said Dr. Pittock. “Now the challenge is urgency — delivering these breakthroughs to the people waiting for them.”
Autoimmune neurology is transforming from an undefined specialty to one of the most rapidly advancing frontiers in neuroscience — driven by precise immune correction instead of lifelong suppression, measurable recovery instead of slow decline, and collaboration among scientists, clinicians, and policymakers to make it happen.
About the World Congress of Neurology
The World Federation of Neurology’s World Congress of Neurology brings together leading neuroscientists and public health experts to turn research into action and emphasize the importance of brain health across the globe. The 27th biennial conference was held in Seoul, South Korea from October 12 to 15, 2025, and was co-hosted by the Korean Neurological Association (KNA).
About the World Federation of Neurology
With support from its 126 Member Societies, the World Federation of Neurology fosters quality neurology and brain health worldwide by promoting neurological education and training, emphasizing under-resourced areas of the world. As a non-state actor in official relations, WFN supports the World Health Organization (WHO) efforts to give everyone an equal chance to live a healthy life. With Member Societies around the globe, WFN unites the world’s neurologists to ensure quality neurology and advocate for people to have better brain health. Learn more about the World Federation of Neurology at wfneurology.org.
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