March 28, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Smartphone, wearable device data found reliable to monitor MS: Study Measurements from smartphones and wearable devices like smartwatches can reliably provide clinically meaningful data to monitor multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study from Switzerland reports. While daily data from such devices did not prove sufficiently reliable in this small study, information generated weekly ā across more than 45 different…
March 28, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Restoring ‘lost’ pathway of neuroprotection benefits MS mice Treatment with the neuroprotective protein HB-EGF eased inflammation and promoted tissue recovery across various disease stages in a multiple sclerosis (MS) mouse model, recent research suggests. Researchers found that HB-EGF is produced by astrocytes, a type of nerve support cell, to ease acute inflammation early on, but this protective…
March 27, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Eye tracking device for monitoring MS severity approved in Canada Health Canada has approved the commercial use of ETNA-MS, a software-based medical device that uses eye tracking to noninvasively measure disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Short for Eye-Tracking Neurological Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis, ETNA-MS assesses disease severity based on a personās eye movements. It’s intended for…
March 27, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Exposure to household chemicals harms myelin-making cells Two types of chemicals in household disinfectants and furniture can disrupt the development of oligodendrocytes, the brain cells chiefly responsible for making myelin, a new study shows. The finding suggests that exposure to these chemicals may be a risk factor for disorders related to myelin such as…
March 26, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD SetPoint nerve stimulator for RRMS accepted to FDA TAP program The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted SetPoint Medical, which is developing a nerve stimulator for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), into a pilot program designed to promote the development of new medical devices, the company said. The Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program…
March 26, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Advancing age affects Tregs’ ability to promote myelin repair: Study While regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are able to promote remyelination ā the repair of the myelin sheath that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) ā this ability declines significantly with age, a new study shows. Based on the findings, researchers have identified molecular targets that may boost the myelin-repairing features…
March 25, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Unmet MS care needs prevalent among patients in Italy: Survey Almost all of the nearly 700 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Italy who responded to a patient survey reported at least one unmet MS care need ā ranging from insufficient access to primary care, social interactions, assistance, doctor-patient relationships, and information about the neurodegenerative disease. More than half…
March 25, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Astrocytes, much like immune cells, can drive inflammation in MS A subset of astrocytes ā a type of support cell for the central nervous systemĀ ā has a form of immune-related memory that might contribute to a worsening of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. Much like immune cells, these astrocytes can remember inflammatory stimuli that they previously have…
March 22, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS lesions grow from center outward, new mapping study shows In multiple sclerosis (MS), lesions ā areas of abnormal tissue in the nervous system ā start as a core of a few inflammatory immune cells, with inflammatory damage then spreading outward from these cells to form a lesion. That’s according to a new study from Sweden, in which researchers…
March 22, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Neural Sleeve walking aid for MS now available at 3 Colorado centers Note: This story was updated March 22, 2024, to note Neural Sleeve is now licensed to ship to 47 states.Ā Ā Cionic has added three neurological medical centers to its national Centers of Excellence program as part of its continuing effort to expand the availability of its Neural Sleeve…
March 21, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Seqster data-sharing platform selected to power MSAA network Note: This story was updated March 26, 2024, to correct the affiliations of the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network staff and to note changes to the program’s partners. The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has tapped healthcare technology company SeqsterĀ to power its multicenter research and learning program, which…
March 21, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD S1PR modulators linked to seizure risk in MS trial meta-analysis People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a twofold higher risk of seizures compared with the general population, according to pooled data from clinical trials. Among MS patients, treatment with sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulators, a class of MS disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that includes the oral medications Gilenya (fingolimod),…
March 20, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Vitamin D seen as most helpful for males in progressive MS rat model Vitamin D supplements were associated with less severe disease in a rat model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), but male rats tended to experience greater benefits than did females, a study into disease-related sex differences reports. This higher overall benefit may be due to nerve cells in males being…
March 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Antibodies against EBV viral protein help prevent infection in mice Using antibodies against a viral protein that’s needed for the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to invade human cells was found to successfully prevent viral infections and EBV-associated cancer in mice in a new study. By identifying sites where these antibodies bind to the viral protein ā called gp42 ā researchers…
March 19, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Neurostimulator to repair myelin in RRMS named breakthrough device The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated SetPoint Medicalās neurostimulator a breakthrough device for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This designation is intended to accelerate the development of devices intending to more effectively treat or diagnose life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases than standard approaches.
March 18, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD MSAA, Lumina partner to provide MRIs to MS patients in Ohio Lumina Imaging has partnered with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) to provide affordable brain and spinal cord MRI scans to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The partnership makes Lumina the preferred provider for the MSAA’s MRI Access Program in northeast Ohio. The program is designed…
March 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Cell therapy using Tregs in MS headed to Phase 2 trials in Poland The Polish biotechnology company PolTREG plans to launch Phase 2 trials testing its Tregs therapy ā the T-cell-based treatment PTG-007 ā in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Poland later this year. The biotech company has earned a Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) certification for its new manufacturing…
March 15, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD New bilingual graphic aims to raise awareness of early MS symptoms A bilingual graphic educational message, dubbed VISIBL-MS, has been developed by researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) to raise awareness about the early symptoms of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The graphic ā bearing the word āVISIBLYā in English and āVISIBLEā in Spanish ā uses the letters in each phrase…
March 15, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Metabolon, Cardiff University partner for MS biomarker research Metabolon and Cardiff University are partnering to discover new biomarkers that could help better understand disease mechanisms and develop new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). The project leverages Metabolon’s expertise in metabolomics, a field of research that measures all products of metabolism, called metabolites, that are made…
March 14, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Rituximab for MS may safely control disease in children, teens Treatment with rituximab, an approved CD20 inhibitor that’s sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), was found to adequately control the neurodegenerative disease in patients diagnosed during childhood or adolescence, a new study showed. The therapy, given byĀ infusion into the bloodstream, was generally safe and significantly reduced…
March 14, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Exercise improves mental health, life quality for MS patients: Analysis Getting physical exercise can improve subjective well-being and health-related quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new meta-analysis shows. “Exercise interventions, especially aerobic or combined aerobic and resistance training, should be implemented in clinical practice to promote mental health” and health-related quality of life in people…
March 13, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Phase 1 trial of KYV-101 opening in progressive MS without relapses Researchers at Stanford University have partnered with Kyverna Therapeutics to conduct an investigator-initiated clinical trial of the company’s cell-based therapy, KYV-101, in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) without relapses. The open-label Phase 1 trial (NCT06138132) will take place at the Stanford Multiple Sclerosis…
March 13, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Common MS therapies appear safe to use while breastfeeding Taking antibody-based medications for multiple sclerosis (MS) while breastfeeding does not appear to harm a child’s health or development during at least the first three years of life, according to a preliminary study of more than 180 babies. Children breastfed by mothers taking Tysabri (natalizumab), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab),…
March 12, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Comorbidities common in MS patients in clinical trials, study finds Nearly half of all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who participated in clinical trials ā including global, pivotal studies ā had one or more comorbidities, or coexisting conditions, the most common being depression and high blood pressure, a meta-analysis study found. While the rate of patients with comorbidities “may be…
March 12, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS lesions may start as small clumps of microglia in patient’s brain In multiple sclerosis (MS), lesions in the brain may start with small clusters of immune cells called microglia, a new study reveals. Scientists are working to understand exactly how these small clusters may develop into MS lesions, which they hope could uncover new targets for treating the disease.
March 11, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Genetic model can help predict risk of MS in optic neuritis patients A model based on genetic factors could help predictĀ the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in people with optic neuritis, an eye disorder that can be an early sign of MS, according to new research. “As a doctor caring for many patients with optic neuritis, Iām excited by…
March 11, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD FDA declines to approve GA Depot as treatment for relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided not to approve an application seeking clearance of GA Depot ā a long-acting formulation of glatiramer acetate ā for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Importantly, this is not a rejection of the application for the…
March 8, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Briumvi, an infusion treatment for MS, granted 3 more patents TG Therapeutics has secured three additional U.S. patents for Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), an anti-CD20 antibody that’s been approved to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent numbers 11,807,689; 11,814,439; and 11,884,740 specifically cover the composition and…
March 8, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: Switch to Briumvi well tolerated in relapsing MS People with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated with an infusion CD20 inhibitor such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) can safely transition to the more recent Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), which is given in shorter infusion times. That’s according to data from the ENHANCE Phase 3b clinical trial…
March 7, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: MRI Paramagnetic rim lesions tied to cognitive decline The presence of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, may help identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are more likely to have cognitive decline over time. Thatās according to four-year data presented by Hannah Schwartz,…