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A Tribute to Professor Giancarlo Comi


min read

Honouring the legacy of Professor Giancarlo Comi, a true pioneer in MS research.

Browsing through the Abstract Book of the first ECTRIMS Congress in 1985, we come across a multicentre study led by Professor Comi. At a time when the nature of multiple sclerosis was “still obscure”, as he wrote, Professor Comi was one of the pioneers who began to shed light. “We will continue on the path you have illuminated for us”, Professor Mario Battaglia – President of the International Federation of MS (FISM) – says in his remembrance. He was among the scientists who completely revolutionised research and clinical care in MS, inspiring generations of students and young researchers.

“One might wonder why we make so much effort to identify MS as early as possible”, he told us during a recent interview, “Because it is absolutely important to start treating MS as soon as we can. The closer we get to the biological onset of the disease, the more manageable it becomes. We can hypothesise that if MS is addressed at such an early stage, it could not only be limited in its consequences, as it is today, but potentially halted permanently.”

The Italian Association of MS (AISM) recalls an analogy he made, comparing the fight against MS to stepping into a boxing ring. “When you enter the ring, it is better to strike your opponent hard right from the start. If you wait until you have taken too many punches, you will not have enough energy left to fight back.”

From the very beginning, Professor Comi was involved in two of the most important organisations dedicated to MS, ECTRIMS and the European Charcot Foundation. In an interview with Nele von Horsten – a patient advocate and blogger at MS – Perspektive – he shared that in the early 1990s, Professor Otto Holmes visited him in Milan to propose founding the European Charcot Foundation. Giancarlo Comi was President of the European Charcot Foundation and Executive Council Member of ECTRIMS from 2003 to 2007, and honorary member from 2014. His inspirational leadership and dedication were pivotal in shaping ECTRIMS into the prominent institution it has become.

Giancarlo Comi was also an Honorary Professor of the Vita Salute University, and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of Human Brains Prada Foundation. He founded the MS Center at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where he also directed the Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE). He continued to direct the MS Center, in Milan, at Casa di Cura Igea. 

He dedicated his life to the fight against MS, deeply committed to help people.

In the interview with Nele von Horsten, Professor Comi vividly remembered the life experience that sparked his desire to help people who are suffering and ignited his passion for medicine. When he was 10, his sister suffered from a severe pulmonary infection, and penicillin had just become available. Living in Carvico, a small village near Milan, he waited at the window for the physician to bring the medicine, feeling that this was the most important person he had ever seen in his life.

He stressed the importance of listening to individuals with MS, pointing out that their experiences, when made objective and scientific, become a crucial tool in assessing disease progression. AISM reports his words, “Often, individuals with MS tell us they feel worse, even though, as doctors, we do not find any changes during examinations or in test results. However, after a few months, we frequently realise that something has indeed changed, and that the individual had sensed it before our diagnostic tools could detect it. This is the way forward.”

On November 20th, at the European Charcot Foundation Congrex, Professor Comi once again highlighted the crucial role of individuals with MS in advancing research, as noted by Professor Mario Battaglia. “It is the people, alongside researchers and clinicians, who must drive research and decide what it is important to focus on next”, Giancarlo Comi said.

At ECTRIMS, we are privileged to carry forward his work, honour his legacy, and pursue his vision.