July 31, 2014 News by admin NYSCF Scientists Closer to Developing Cell Replacement Therapy For Multiple Sclerosis Patients Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute have made encouraging advances in the development of a viable cell replacement therapy for multiple sclerosis using a patient’s own cells, known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Since multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating disease of unknown…
July 31, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD After Delay, Innate Immunotherapeutics’ MIS416 Trial For Secondary Progressive MS Therapy To Begin Enrolling in August In spite of an eight week delay, New Zealand-basedĀ Innate ImmunotherapeuticsĀ is still planning to enroll patients for its phase 2b clinical trial that will study theĀ experimental drugĀ MIS416Ā for secondary progressive MS. The clinical research organization (CRO) involved in the management of the trial informed the company about the…
July 28, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen Idec’s Injection Plegridy Approved in Europe to Treat RRMS The European Commission granted marketing authorization for the use of Plegridy, a drug developed by Biogen IdecĀ as a treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS),Ā the most common form of multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval comes at a time when…
July 28, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Complementary and Alternative Medicine is Gaining Credibility Among MS Patients Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are no substitutes for the regular treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), however, they are becoming more common among patients as a way of alleviating the symptoms of the disease. Massage therapy is an example of that. 36-year-old Jessica Rich is a patient who embraced…
July 25, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Removes Partial Clinical Hold for CTP-354, Concert Pharmaceuticals’ Novel Drug for MS, Spasticity The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Ā recently notifiedĀ Concert Pharmaceuticals that the company had fulfilled all necessary preclinical toxicological tests for theĀ oral therapyĀ CTP-354Ā for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and spasticity. The authorization to administer repeated doses of the compound,Ā in excess of 6 mg per day,…
July 24, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Low Vitamin D is Linked to Severe Acute Optic Neuritis in Multiple Sclerosis For the approximately 15-20% of multiple sclerosis patients with acute optic neuritis (AON), lack of vitamin D may be partly responsible. A new study published in Neurology identified a link between vitamin D levels and AON severity. Individuals with higher vitamin D levels may experience less severe…
July 23, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD USC PhD Student Creates Project to Treat MS with Nanotechnology A Ph.D. student at theĀ University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, Kun Yue, is developing a model of selected brain circuits to study multiple sclerosis (MS) in an effort to develop a nanotechnology based treatment for the disease.Ā Yue believes that new technology can lead…
July 22, 2014 News by admin Bike Multiple Sclerosis Cactus Takes Place This Weekend in Texas The next Bike Multiple Sclerosis Cactus and Crude event, a bike run hosted by the National MS Society to raise awareness on this disease, will take place this weekend at the starting line in Midland, TX gathering 200 to 250 cyclists that will ride a total of…
July 22, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD NICE Turns Back and Approves Biogenās Oral MS Drug Tecfidera in the UK The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) gave a positive final appraisal determination to the use of the Biogen Idec‘s drugĀ Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) in adults for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), having turned back on their preliminary negative recommendation. TheĀ oral…
July 21, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Alkermes’ ALKS 8700 to Treat MS is Preparing for a Phase 1 Clinical Trial Alkermes plc is looking to add one more treatment to the repertoire for multiple sclerosis drugs by initiating a Phase 1 clinical trial study of ALKS 8700. This novel molecule, developed by Alkermes, will be evaluated for safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. “We expect the results of this study to…
July 18, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 8 Compounds Potentially Useful For Treating MS Discovered Using Innovative Research Tool Eight new drugs that are able to stimulate the nervous system were discovered by a research team atĀ UC San Francisco recently. The team utilized a novel screening platform and examined the cellular effects of 1,000 chemical compounds. The scientists believe the discovery may impact the treatment of the tissue…
July 18, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Startup ImStem Raising Funds For Novel Stem-Cell MS Treatment Startup biotech company ImStem BiotechnologyĀ is looking to raise additional funding for their upcoming clinical trials after publishing promising research on a unique stem-cellĀ treatment used on mice withĀ multiple sclerosis. Ā The company has already received previous funding…
July 16, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Lemtrada For RRMS Still Under Review in the U.S., Now Approved in Scotland The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) Ā announced the approval of the drug Lemtrada, produced byĀ Genzyme, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and active disease defined by clinical or imaging features, within the national health system (NHS) in Scotland. Lemtrada…
July 15, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Music Professor With MS Featured In PBS Documentary About the Disease The American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) recently aired a documentary about a University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) music professor, who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), on OETA.Ā “Healed: Music, Medicine and Life with MS,” tells the story of Jim Klages‘s struggle against the disease. Klages was an accomplished musician and…
July 14, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Tysabri Protects Against Relapse in Multiple Sclerosis, According To Study According to a study published in JAMA Neurology, multiple sclerosis patients are greatly benefited by Biogen Idec’s Tysabri (natalizumab) and tend to relapse if they discontinue treatment. Natalizumab had a protective effect on patients who were continuously treated with Tysabri beyond a 24-dose timepoint within the study,…
July 11, 2014 News by admin As MS Rises In The Arab World, Dubai Hosts First Multiple Sclerosis Conference In The Region The Middle East North Africa Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis has recently announced the first MENACTRIMS Congress for professionals to be held in Dubai on the 17th and 18th of October. While Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is often associated with North America and Northern Europe, the disease…
July 10, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Bike MS Ride in Colorado Raises $3.8 million To Support Research Bike MS, a two-day ride between Westminster and Fort Collins, in Colorado, raised $3.8 million to support the multiple sclerosis (MS) research, thanks to the help ofĀ over 3,000 riders, volunteers, and advocates. Bikers started the journey last Saturday and rode back to Westminster Sunday morning. The money raised, from…
July 9, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Antihistamine Repurposed for Remyelination in Phase 2 Trial from UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the antihistamine clemastine fumarate, manufactured by Novartis as Tavist, for its efficacy in treating multiple sclerosis patients. The laboratory of Dr. Jonah Chan, a professor of neurology at UCSF, used a high-throughput method to identify Tavist…
July 9, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Care Costs Rose 60 Percent in 7 Years, According To Study The main costs of care for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients continue to be driven predominantly by common MS “sequelae” —Ā a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury —Ā according to a recent study from theĀ BMC Health Services Research. However, in spite of cost drivers remaining steady,…
July 8, 2014 News by Charles Moore Ireland Eases Medical Marijuana For MS Restrictions; Canada Cracks Down; US States Legalize; Researchers Debate The Republic of Ireland is legalizing the medical prescription of cannabis for people with Multiple Sclerosis, under a new revision to current Irish laws. The Irish Mirror reports that Pat O’Mahony, CEO of Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) confirmed July 7 that the Department of Health is…
July 7, 2014 News by Charles Moore MS And Insect Borne Disease Danger: What Works And What Doesn’t Profiled An Everyday Health blog by New Jersey-based husband and wife team Brad and Robynn Mann notes that more time spent outdoors during the warmer months means more potential encounters with insects that can be disease vectors, notably mosquitos and ticks. Mr. Mann, who is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS),…
July 3, 2014 News by Maureen Newman UB Team Finds a Way to Make Stem Cells into Myelinating Cells Stem therapy to treat multiple sclerosis may benefit greatly from a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by the laboratory of Fraser Sim, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr.
July 2, 2014 News by Charles Moore Cleveland Clinic Researchers Find iPad A Powerful Multiple Sclerosis Assessment Tool Tracking patients’ progress is a critical part of MS management, a process that can benefit from greater objective analysis. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have determined that tablet computers, which feature built-in technologies like accelerometers, gyroscopes, and touchscreens, when combined with appropriate software, can provide pretty good MS assessment capabilities.
July 1, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Genzyme Drug Lemtrada Approved in Argentina, Still Under Review in US Lemtrada, a drug produced by GenzymeĀ for the treatment of adult patients suffering from relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with active disease, was approved by Argentinaās National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT). “We are pleased by the continued global support for Lemtrada,” said Genzyme…