Knowledge mapping of disease-modifying therapy (DMT) in multiple sclerosis (MS): A bibliometrics analysis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Immunology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disease with a rapidly expanding research landscape.
• Synthesizing and organizing the extensive literature on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for MS is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of publications on emerging, traditional, and cross-cutting DMTs for MS.
• To identify current research trends and future directions in MS treatment.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 4142 (e-DMT), 6521 (t-DMT), and 1793 (I-DMT) publications from Web of Science Core Collection.
• Data analyzed using VOSviewer, Citespace, R package "Bibliometrix", and Scimago Graphica.
• Utilized Largest Likelihood Ratio (LLR) clustering and burst citation algorithms.

Main Results:

• Identified key research topics including COVID-19 mRNA vaccination safety, therapeutic inertia, cladribine tablets, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT), progressive MS, and pediatric MS.
• Descriptive and predictive analyses were performed on countries, institutions, authors, keywords, and references.

Conclusions:

• Future MS DMT research should prioritize combination trials and cross-trials to develop individualized treatment plans.
• Key areas include monoclonal antibodies, cladribine, aHSCT, mRNA COVID-19 vaccine impact, therapeutic inertia, patient adherence, and biomarker discovery.