August 10, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Neuro Night event to raise funds for neurological care, research Neuro Night, a philanthropic event set for October in Scottsdale, Arizona, is raising funds for the Barrow Neurological Institute and its mission of supporting the lifesaving care, medical education, and research for neurological diseases. The star-studded night of music, dancing, and fundraising, hosted by the Barrow Neurological Foundation,…
March 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: MS clinical research lacks diversity, representation Nonwhite populations are underrepresented in research that tests therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), meaning most available data on a treatment’s effectiveness and safety can’t be generalized to all patients. “The absence of diversity in MS research is a problem that concerns us all,” said LĆ©orah Freeman, MD, PhD, a…
August 24, 2022 News by Mary Chapman New MS Grant Winners to Explore Disease Risk, Prevalence in Australia The newest recipients of the MS Australia incubator grants will seek novel ways to prevent and treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and explore the prevalence and incidence of the neurodegenerative disorder in different parts of the country. One scientist will use the funding to explore disease risk factors ā and…
August 19, 2022 Columns by John Connor MS and Sex: Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Never Told to Ask Now, I know the phrase “Iām going to do my own research” has become a catch-all for conspiracy theorists who are out to prove spurious nonsense, merely by finding even more spurious websites they can whirl down like Alice falling through that there looking glass. Proper research costs serious money…
July 26, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Mavenclad, Genetic Risk, Fatigue Impact, Multivitamins Skin Reactions āFrequentā With Mavenclad, Real-world Study Finds I regularly see people posting on social media about having a rash or itchy skin, or losing hair while taking Mavenclad. Researchers in this study say these side effects aren’t mentioned in the risk management plans for this disease-modifying therapy. Therefore,…
January 29, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Don’t Jump to Conclusions Over a Breakthrough MS Vaccine Just Yet A medical website’s headline screamed, “Breakthrough Multiple Sclerosis Vaccine Shows Impressive Results In Study.” TheĀ New York Daily News joined in, highlighting a potential “breakthrough” vaccine. Other media outlets also were using similar adjectives earlier this month. Unfortunately, it’s normal media hype. I suspect some of it was was…
May 23, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: What Are Stem Cells? Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum.Ā This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “Has anyone had the stem cell procedure?” from Jan. 11. Youāve no doubt heard…
March 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Researcher Awarded $408,000 by MS Society to Study Ways of Easing Fatigue Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, was recently awarded a three-year grant worth $408,000 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to study fatigue-influencing factors among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Dobryakova is a researcher in Traumatic Brain Injury Research at theĀ Kessler Foundation, where she focuses on cognitive issues in…
March 2, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Therapeutic Target for Stabilizing Histamine, an Inflammatory Agent in MS, Identified in Fruit Fly Study Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, workingĀ in the fruit fly model,Ā identified an organic cation transporter, CarT (carcinine transporter), that is crucial to the recycling of histamine in the brain and the maintenance of healthy vision. Histamine is a neurotransmitter involved in chronic inflammation and pathogenesis in multiple…
December 8, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Researchers at Japanese Hospital to Use Novel MRI Technology Juntendo University Hospital, the first medical school in Japan to adopt Western medicine, recently signed a research agreement withĀ SyntheticMRĀ to employ the companyās SyMRI technology in clinical research projects at the hospital involving patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or brain tumor metastases.Ā Ā SyntheticMRĀ isĀ a Swedish company developing and commercializing software…
October 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Potential MS Drug Cladribine Reported To Have No Impact on Cancer Incidence A new study recently published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation revealed that the drug Cladribine does not increase the risk of cancer in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as previously thought. The study was led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)…
August 31, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Susceptibility May be Influenced by Female-Specific Variations in MicroRNAs-Coding Genes In a new study entitled āVariants of MicroRNA Genes: Gender-Specific Associations with Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Severity,ā researchersĀ identified variations in genes coding for microRNAs that influence patients’ susceptibility to develop multiple sclerosis, as well as the disease course. Most importantly, these variations were gender specific, identified only…
August 28, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cryoport, Inc. to Supply Opexa’s MS and NMO Immunotherapy Studies with Cryogenic Logistics Solutions Cryoport, Inc., a leader in providingĀ advanced cryogenic logistics solutions for the life sciences industry, has just announced it will be supplying Opexa Therapeutics’ lead personalized T-cell immunotherapy research initiatives for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) andĀ Neuromyelitis Optica (“NMO”). Opexa’s breakthrough immunotherapy drug platform has shown the potential to improve the lives of…
August 19, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Pediatric MS Patients Can Benefit Greatly from Strenuous Physical Activity, Study Suggests A recently published study in the journalĀ NeurologyĀ entitled “lowerĀ physical activity is associated with higher disease burden in pediatric multiple sclerosis” suggests pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis can benefit from engaging in regular moderate to strenuous activity, in that physical activity was linked to a…
July 20, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Study on French MS Population Reveals Long Disease Duration is Associated with Higher Mortality A study recently published in the journal PLoS One revealed an excess mortality rate among French patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) that experience the disease for more than 20 years. The study was conducted by researchers at several institutes and hospitals in France, and is entitled ā…
July 10, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Risk Assessment Ability Declines With Multiple Sclerosis Disease Severity According To Survey The ability to assess risk may decline as multiple sclerosis disease status progresses over time, as determined by a recent study from University of Alberta in Canada. Principal investigator Esther Fujiwara, PhD, and lead author of the study, Ashley Radomski, used the game of dice task (GDT) to challenge patients…
July 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Offer New Insights into Cognitive Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis Patients A new study led by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center recently revealed that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience cognitive deficits due to a decreased connectivity between functional networks in the brain. The…
July 8, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Mitochondria May Play a Role in MS Development and Progression Recent attention to the role of mitochondria in the etiology of multiple sclerosis (what causes the disease) suggests that mitochondrial defects and mitochondrial structural and functional changes may contribute to the disease. Researchers studying mitochondria in multiple sclerosis believe abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics impact cellular pathways such as inflammation and…
July 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Awards WSU Professor With Grant to Develop New MS Research Model Alexander Gow, Ph.D., a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has just been awarded a research grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to fund his exploration of a novel model of MS pathology. Gow is a holder of theĀ Charles H. Gershenson Distinguished Fellow Professor…
March 4, 2015 News by admin Multiple Sclerosis Could be Treated with a Surprising Medication An already approved medication used for bladder problems might help to treat multiple sclerosis, according to researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Lead author Fraser J. Sim, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the University at Buffalo…
March 2, 2015 News by admin Multiple Sclerosis Treatments Benefit From Discovery of New Inflammatory Molecule A newly discovered molecule could play a pivotal role in inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, according to researchers at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Queensland Australia. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine,Ā and describes aĀ molecule known as MCC950 that can suppress the ‘NLRP3 inflammasome’,…