March 15, 2022 News by Mary Chapman MS Read-a-Thon in Canada Extended to Meet Goal The MS Society of Canada‘s virtual MS Read-a-Thon event has been extended to March 20, giving children and families throughout Canada extra time to enjoy reading while raising funds for the multiple sclerosis (MS) community. The event, which began Jan. 27, seeks to generate $110,000 to…
March 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Immune Reaction to Milk Protein May Explain Dairy’s Link to MS Immune system reaction to casein, a protein in cow’s milk, can trigger an inflammatory neurological disease in mice that’s similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) and includes the loss of myelin, a study reported. “These results identify how consumption of milk and milk products may exacerbate the autoimmune response in…
February 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Bacteria-fighting White Blood Cell ‘Traps’ Tied to T-cell Inflammation Molecular “traps” made by neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, to fight bacteria may contribute to the excessive inflammatory activity of T-helper 17 immune T-cells, which are known to play a role in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Neutrophils are equipped with a number of biochemical tools…
January 10, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Lemtrada, Music and White Matter, Diagnosing MS AB Science OKād to Start Masitinib Phase 3 Trial for Progressive MS Many of us with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been waiting for another treatment for progressive forms of MS. I hope this brings us another step closer to one. Masitinib is an oral medication that works by blocking…
November 23, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Autoimmune Patients Want Clearer COVID-19 Vaccine Info Patients with autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), are uncertain about how to protect themselves against COVID-19, especially with regards to booster shots of the vaccine. According to a national survey by the nonprofit Alliance for Patient Access, these patients are confused due to conflicting information from the…
January 18, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Tonix Files for Patent for TNX-1500 to Treat Autoimmune Diseases Tonix Pharmaceuticals has filed a patent application with the World Intellectual Property Organization covering the use of TNX-1500 ā its third-generation anti-CD154 antibody ā for the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases, such asĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), and organ transplant rejection. āThere remains a significant need for new treatments with improved…
February 20, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Finding My Way Through Sickness and Sadness with SPMS I am hyperaware of the fragility of life. More specifically, the fragility of mine. Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. My immune system eats away at the myelin sheath surrounding my nerves. My disease-modifying therapy is an immunosuppressant. This further weakens my immunity. I have known…
May 17, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Is a Pain, and Doctors Should Know It Dear Doctor, Why is it that you, or at least some of your colleagues, think that multiple sclerosis isn’t painful? Did you skip the med school class where they discussed MS?Ā Are you not a neurologist, or are you a neurologist who doesn’t specialize in MS? Whatever the reason, this “MS…
May 2, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell With an Autoimmune Disease, Fear of a Measles Outbreak Is Real Few things scare me. I mean, truly frighten me to my core. While I flee from bees and scream at spiders, I have been both stung and bitten. Scary movies, no matter how asinine, freak me out. Being alone in the dark invokes vivid imagination. Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers.
February 4, 2019 Columns by Debi Wilson Is There a Connection Between Fibromyalgia and MS? I’ve often wondered if there may be a connection between fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis (MS), and other neurological conditions. BackĀ in the early 1990s, my doctor suspected fibromyalgia as the culprit for my fatigue, aches, and pains. At the time, doctors diagnosed fibromyalgia by the use of tender points.
November 1, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Protein Produced by Common Gut Bacteria Can Trigger Autoimmunity, Study Suggests Bacteria that reside in human gut may trigger autoimmune reactions by producing human-like proteins that mimic a naturally occurring and crucial cell protein. Researchers at Queenās University Belfast in Ireland report that patients with autoimmune disorders ā such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis ā have…
August 23, 2018 News by Stacy Grieve, PhD Case Study Suggests Need for New Treatment Strategy When Switching from Gilenya to Rituximab Discontinuing Gilenya (fingolimod) treatment and starting on rituximab therapy may be more complicated than originally thought. A new report chronicles the medical journey of a man with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with these drugs, and proposes a new treatment regimen. Both Gilenya (an approved MS therapy marketed by…
June 13, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Unpublished Data May Point to Link Between Lemtrada and Other Autoimmune Diseases in MS Patients Previously unpublished results of clinical trials of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) appears to contain key information as toĀ why many multiple sclerosis patients who use it develop other autoimmune diseases. Researchers looked at the immune cell mix after Lemtrada depleted many of those cells. They discovered that certain B-cells repopulate the body earlier…
June 5, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Researchers Develop New Method to Specifically Target Immune Cells that Trigger MS, Other Autoimmune Processes Researchers atĀ Cincinnati Childrenās Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) have developed a new experimental method to specifically target unwanted activation of the immune system without the toxicity of current immunoregulatory drugs. According toĀ the study āManipulating DNA damage-response signaling for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases,ā published in the journalĀ …
May 15, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Transcription Factor T-Bet Triggers MS, Other Autoimmune Diseases, Study Finds The expression by immune B-cells of a protein called T-bet is crucialĀ to promoting production of autoantibodies that recognize and destroy the tissues of one’s own body, finds a new study by researchersĀ at National Jewish HealthĀ in Denver. The study, āB cells expressing the transcription factor T-bet drive lupus-like autoimmunity,ā…
April 6, 2017 News by James Frederick, PA-C, MMSc Nektar Therapeutics Starts Phase 1 Trial of NKTR-358 for Autoimmune Diseases Nektar TherapeuticsĀ has started a Phase 1 clinical trial of its biologic therapy NKTR-358 forĀ inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. NKTR-358 is a first-in-class regulatory T-cell stimulator designed to correct the immune system dysfunction associated with these disorders. ItĀ targets regulatory T-cells, or Tregs. Other immunosuppressant therapies suppress the…
April 5, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD UMD Team Reverses Paralysis in MS Mouse Model Using Novel Immunotherapy Strategy Scientists at the University of MarylandĀ have developed an experimental treatment to control the immune system and recover movement in a paralyzed mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The team presented its research April 2 during theĀ 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical SocietyĀ in San Francisco. In…
March 9, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD IQuity to Release 7-Day Blood Diagnostics Test for Multiple Sclerosis in May Molecular diagnostics startupĀ IQuity is introducing a pioneering blood test that speeds upĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis to just seven days. Previously, this process could take up to months or years. IQuity, based in Nashville, Tennessee, began working on its new IsolateMS blood test in January 2016, after receiving $2…
March 8, 2017 Columns by Judy Lynn Making Careful Travel Plans for MS Medications and Supplies If I were playing āChronic Disease Bingo,ā I’d be a winner! In addition to MS, I have three other chronic health conditions. While that may sound bad, itās not unusual in the world of autoimmune disease, and I consider myself fairly healthy. This is thanks partly to attitude, but…
December 1, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Protein from Parasite Lowers Relapse Rates, Evidence of Demyelination in Mice with MS A moleculeĀ secreted by a parasite was seen to prevent autoimmune reactionsĀ in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). As this molecule, a protein factor or peptide, also worked to preventĀ diabetes, researchers suggestĀ it might be developed intoĀ aĀ potential treatment for autoimmune diseases. The study, “A parasite-derived 68-mer peptide ameliorates…
June 15, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD ‘Master Switch’ for Autoimmune Diseases Like MS Potentially Seen in DNA of Immune Cells Regions of DNA calledĀ super-enhancersĀ regulate immune cell activity, including the body’s response to threats like inflammation or pathogens, and now scientists have found that they also harborĀ genetic variantsĀ associated with autoimmune diseases ā gene variants that may be the “master switches” for these conditions. The findings were described in the study ā…
May 18, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Gut Microbiota in Young MS Patients Is Higher in Pro-Inflammatory Bacteria Than Usual, Study Finds Children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) differ from others in the composition of their gut flora, withĀ higherĀ levelsĀ of inflammation-causing bacteria and lower levelsĀ of anti-inflammatory bacteria, according to a study fromĀ Ā theĀ University of British Columbia, Canada. The findings, supportingĀ previous hypothesesĀ that the composition of the gut microbial community could influence the development…
May 6, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Celebrate Vision Health Month by Getting Your Eyes Examined, Optometrist Group Says The Canadian Association of Optometrists is urging peopleĀ to have theirĀ eyes examined regularly as a part of their preventive care routine. The plea, an education initiative for May ā which is Vision Health Month ā stresses that comprehensive eye exams are important even for people with good vision, because they…
January 14, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Simple MS Blood Test Said to Be Able to Diagnose Disease at Symptom Onset IQuity Labs, which specializesĀ in diagnostic tests for autoimmune and other diseases, recently announced that it has received $2 million in seed funding to support the launch of itsĀ test panels, diagnostic tests designed to confirm the presence or absence of disease at the very onset of symptoms. The first to…
January 8, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Rise in MS and Autoimmune Disease Linked to Processed Foods In a new study, researchers found that additives common to processed foods can damage the tight junctions that protect the intestinal mucosa, and which are essential to theĀ intestinalĀ tolerance and immunity balance that works to prevent autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The article, titled āChanges in…
November 16, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Hypoxia-Measuring Technology in MS Could Be Potential Biomarker for Treatment Responses In a new study entitled āReduced cortical microvascular oxygenation in multiple sclerosis: a blinded, case-controlled study using a novel quantitative near-infrared spectroscopy method,ā a team of researchers at theĀ Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of CalgaryĀ investigated whether frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy technology can measure the potential…
September 24, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Brain-specific B Cells’ Reactivity Determines Glatiramer Acetate Therapy Success in MS Patients In a new study entitled āThe brain antigen-specific B cell response correlates with glatiramer acetate responsiveness in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients,āĀ a team of scientists discovered that differences in response toĀ glatiramer acetate therapy among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is potentially dependent on the presence of reactive brain-specific B…
September 22, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Inhibiting LINGO-1 Protein is a Potential Future Treatment for Cognitive Impairment in MS Patients In a new study entitled āLINGO-1 antibody ameliorates myelin impairment and spatial memory deficits in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis miceā, a team of scientists report that the loss of myelin in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ brains contributes to their cognitive impairment. They showed that inhibiting protein LINGO-1 can…
August 18, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Sleep Deprivation Found To Be A Main Cause of MS-related Fatigue In a new review entitled āFatigue in multiple sclerosis: a look at the role of poor sleepā author Lauren Strober, PhD explores the link between secondary fatigue and sleep disturbance in multiple sclerosis patients. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology.
July 14, 2015 News by admin Nano-Drugs in Liposomes Could Treat Multiple Sclerosis Nano-drugs encased in liposomes could one day be used to treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published July 6th in the journal, PloS One. A liposome is a small, fat soluble droplet that can contain a water soluble drug. Liposomes might…