Given the fact that MS is a chronic, progressive, and disabling disease for which there is no cure, the multiple sclerosis community is always looking forward to the latest news regarding new therapies, devices or scientific findings about treating and curing the disease. These are the top 14 news stories of 2014 from…

A team of researchers from Italy recently examined if p53 genetic variants influence synaptic and toxic effects of cytokines in the neurodegenerative processes that occurs in Multiple Sclerosis. The study, entitled “Interleukin-1β causes excitotoxic neurodegeneration and multiple sclerosis disease progression by activating the apoptotic protein p53,” was recently published…

Biopharmaceutical company Receptos, Inc. is enrolling the first patient in their SUNBEAM phase 3 trial to evaluate the company’s investigational therapy for the treatment of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) and ulcerative colitis (UC), called RPC1063. In addition, Receptos has recently started its phase 3 …

British Columbia’s PharmaCare drug program has announced that it will fund AUBAGIO, a therapy developed by Genzyme for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. AUBAGIO (teriflunomide) 14 mg has been officially added to PharmaCare’s provincial formulary as a first-line oral agent for patients suffering from relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). As…

A study published on December 22 in JAMA Neurology emphasizes that a standard measurement used to gauge multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, known as “no-evidence-of-disease-activity” (NEDA) is important for determining how the disease will progress long-term. MS is the most common degenerative neurological condition that affects young adults worldwide.

Researchers in Spain have found that specific fat stem cells from mice could be excellent tools for studying transplantation of stem cells in autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The work was published in the December 12th issue of the journal, Stem Cell Research & Therapy. The…

Icometrix, a biotechnology company focused on unique projects for diagnosing and treating multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, has designed new software for the measurement of brain lesions and brain volumes and their changes over time. MS, a chronic and neurological condition that affects about 2.5 million people throughout the world, is often first detected in patients at…

Mapi Pharma Ltd., a development stage pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of high-barrier to entry and high-added value generic drugs, announced it has treated the first patient in the Phase IIa study of GA Depot for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Lead investigator Professor Ariel Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Head of the Multiple Sclerosis & Brain…

A new study on the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to treat neuroinflammatory and demyelinating disease entitled “SEMA4D compromises blood–brain barrier, activates microglia, and inhibits remyelination in neurodegenerative disease” was published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease by Ernest S. Smith part of…

Have you ever eaten a turkey dinner and afterwards someone says that the feeling of drowsiness is caused by the tryptophan in the meat? According to Texas A&M University Professor Dr. Nicolaas Deutz, “This story about tryptophan in turkey is just kind of a running joke, it has nothing…

Scientists from Amsterdam-based Motek Medical developed an innovative virtual reality system that allows clinicians to see and analyze a patient’s balance, locomotion, and coordination – a tool that could reshape rehabilitation and clinical studies, as the system allows the patient to experience challenging and dynamically changing physical…

A new Multiple Sclerosis pilot study was awarded a $39,000 grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to investigate how patients’ sensation in their feet while standing impacts balance and whether their ability to walk is improved through the use of vibrating insoles. Multiple Sclerosis is characterized by the destruction of the…

In a new study, researchers based at the Imperial College, London will follow in unprecedented detail the events and experiences in lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in order to improve evaluation protocols for MS treatments. MS is estimated to afflict more than two million people globally, more…

A team of researchers from Ohio State University received a $44,000 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to fund the development and testing of an interactive video game designed to promote and supplement physical therapy among patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), an…

Researchers have uncovered new information about myelin, a fatty substance that wraps around the axons of brain cells (neurons) allowing them to transmit information quickly from one cell to another. De-myelinating diseases in which the insulating wrap is damaged include multiple sclerosis, in which unpredictable loss of myelin causes…

Dr. Nataliya Ternopolska Pennsylvania-based Abington Health  has announced that it has named Nataliya Ternopolska, M.D. as the new associate medical director of their Multiple Sclerosis Center. Ternopolska will not only take over the leadership position, but will also join The Neurology Group at the facility. Abington Health is an organization…

2014 was a year of major progress in research for treating and curing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This year the National Multiple Sclerosis Society reports that the organization invested over $50 million into 380 new and ongoing research initiatives and projects for MS. The Society remains highly…

A team of researchers from the Case Western Reserve’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing has designed a 24-week exercise program tailored specifically for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in varying states of disease progression. The program drew inspiration and structure from a series of informational pamphlets…

Israel-based biopharmaceutical company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced last week that its thrice-weekly COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate) 40mg/ml treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has received positive results in a decentralized procedure. The favorable outcome proceeds a Positive Assessment Report from the United Kingdom, the Reference Member…

Actress and star of the ABC show “Revenge”, Madeleine Stowe, recently shared her personal story of living in a family with someone who suffers from  multiple sclerosis (MS). Her father lived for many years with the disease. The actress has decided to help not only MS patients but…

Novartis International recently provided an update on its fingolimod Phase III trial evaluating the use of the drug in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), reporting that the study did not reveal any significant benefits of prescribing fingolimod over a placebo. However, results regarding…

Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA) to treat upper limb spasticity, a condition that affects many people in the United States, including multiple sclerosis (MS)…

Researchers from Canada and the U.S. have found that brains of young people with multiple sclerosis fail to develop fully. The article appeared November 5, 2014 in the journal Neurology entitled, “Onset of multiple sclerosis before adulthood leads to failure of age-expected brain growth.” Multiple sclerosis is caused…

The “2014 Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutic Update,” published in the journal Neurohospitalist by author Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MCR, provides a positive outlook on the state of current treatments and research for future treatments of multiple sclerosis. A host of new therapies, as well as common-place…

Neurology and autoimmune therapeutics company GeNeuro SA has just announced the formation of a partnership with independent French pharmaceutical company Servier for the co-development and marketing of GNbAC1 for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It is the first humanized monocloncal antibody treatment formulated to address one of this disease’s causal factors, making it…

Keeping a journal may help patients suffering from severe and chronic diseases deal with their conditions, as well as with the stress and emotions that accompany symptoms. In a real-life testament to this, Mari L. McCarthy, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and started using journaling to cope with it, is launching…

Patient education, support and self-management of multiple sclerosis (MS) has just become easier through the joint efforts of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and the leader in simulation-based learning platforms for healthcare and the creators of the ALIVE Med delivery platform, Syandus. Together they…

In a recent study entitled “Detection of protein aggregates in brain and cerebrospinal fluid derived from multiple sclerosis patients” a team of researchers reported to have detected soluble oligomers in both brain and cerebrospinal fluid samples from multiple sclerosis patients. The study was published in the…

Genzyme, a Sanofi company with over 30 years of dedication to researching and developing novel treatments for rare and orphan diseases, has just announced the Alberta Drug Program has finally decided to include Aubagio® (teriflunomide) 14mg in the provincial drug formulary, indicated for the first-line…

A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside, along with other collaborators, have identified a drug associated with estrogen, indazole chloride (Ind-Cl), that blocks the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were reported December 1st in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MS…