October 11, 2023 Columns by Mike Parker Dragged into my MS diagnosis, but now jumping for a cure: Part 1 Multiple Sclerosis News Today is chronicling MS advocate and podcaster Mike Parker’s journey leading up to a skydiving jump he’ll be making on Oct. 29 to benefit the MS Society U.K. Learn more about Mike at his website mikesmsjourney.com and click here to donate to his fundraiser.
May 3, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Uncertainties of MS Challenging in Scary Ways: UK Patient Survey The uncertainties that accompanyĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) are among the biggest challenges faced by people with the disease, with two-thirds of patients in a recent survey saying “they’re scared for the future” because of such unknowns, theĀ MS Society, which conducted the U.K. survey, reports. āWe may all think the…
April 26, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Trial of Metformin-Clemastine Combo Enrolls First Patient The first participant has been enrolled in a new clinical trial that is testing whether an antihistamine in combination with a diabetes medication might promote the repair of the myelin sheath in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial’s first participant, Annabelle, was diagnosed with relapsing MS over a…
December 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Results From Trial of Simvastatin for SPMS Expected in 2025 MS-STAT2, a clinical trial testing whether the cholesterol-lowering medication simvastatin might slow disability progression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), has finished enrollment. A total of 964 people are now in the trial (NCT03387670), making it the largest progressive MS trial not run by a commercial…
November 1, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD MS Society Report: Neurology Services in UK Struggling to Help Patients The COVID-19 pandemic brought extra strain to already-stretched neurology services across the U.K., markedly affecting multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) care and patientsā health, according to a report from the MS Society. These findings were consistent with those of a 2020 report from U.K.ās Neurological AllianceĀ showing that the pandemic…
May 17, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD NICE Again Says No to Adding Zeposia to Health System for England and Wales The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has maintained its initial draft recommendation and will not recommend that Zeposia (ozanimod) be added to the National Health Service (NHS) of England and Wales. This final decision on the cost effectiveness of the oral therapy means Zeposia will…
April 21, 2021 News by Mary Chapman One-third of Patients in the UK Hid MS Status, Poll Finds An MS Society survey found that about one-third of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.K. have kept their condition hidden from their partner, family members, employer, or work colleagues. To help mark MS Awareness Week, observed in the U.K. April 19ā25, the nonprofit organization released…
February 23, 2021 News by Diana Campelo Delgado MS Society in UK Commits to Raising $5.2M for Research The MS Society in the U.K. is hoping to raise Ā£3.7 million ($5.2 million) to fund research aimed at developing new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). The funds will support research at the Societyās Centers of Excellence in Edinburgh and CambridgeĀ over five years. āOur top priority…
November 23, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ChariotMS to Test Mavenclad in SPMS, PPMS Patients With Little Ability to Walk An upcoming Phase 2 clinical trial, called ChariotMS, will test whether Mavenclad (cladribine) can slow a worsening of hand and arm function in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and very limited walking abilities. Patients reliant on wheelchairs or aids to walk even short distances generally have…
July 23, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD UK Health Services Failing MS Patient Needs Under Pandemic, Survey Finds A vast majority ā 7 out of every 10 ā healthcare professionals working with multiple sclerosis (MS) patients across the U.K. believe health services are failing to meet their needs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an online survey conducted by theĀ MS SocietyĀ and the MS…
February 17, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Number of People with MS in UK More Than Previously Estimated New data from Public Health England (PHE) and the U.K. MS Society show that the number of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United Kingdom is now more than 130,000 ā about one in every 500 people living in the country. This is an increase of…
October 11, 2019 News by Mary Chapman MS Society in UK Opens ‘Stop MS Appeal,’ Ā£100M Fundraiser to Better Treat Disease Through its Stop MS Appeal campaign, the United Kingdomās MS SocietyĀ seeks to raise Ā£100 million (almost $125 million) within the next decade to advance research and treatments that will stopĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Over the next three months, the organization will run an extensive advertising campaign…
August 2, 2019 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc MS Society, Parkinson’s UK Grant $3.6 Million to Digital Brain Bank The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's Tissue Bank at Imperial College London, the largest brain and tissue bank in Europe, will receive Ā£1.5 million (about $1.82 million) from the U.K.Ā MS Society. This fund will support the development of a digital brain bank powered by a virtual reality platform, which will provide new tools for researchers around the world with the ultimate goal of stopping multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. These new technologies will be used to create high-definition pictures of brain tissue donated by people with MS after their death. āWhen the tissue bank first opened in 1998 there were practically no treatments for those affected. Things are very different now and itās a privilege to work with an organization like the MS Society, which does everything it can to ensure the work of the scientific community reflects the needs of people living with MS," Richard Nicholas, PhD, scientific director of the tissue bank, said in a press release. āThis investment will ensure all researchers have access to high quality brain and spinal cord tissue from people with MS, and marks an important development in the U.K. research landscape. Weāre excited to see where it takes us,ā Nicholas added. The new-era tissue bank will grant researchers access to tissue images that can be studied extensively and indefinitely, and also will offer the opportunity to explore the brainās structures in a 3-D interactive section. Together with Parkinson's UK, these two leading neurological charities will contribute a total of Ā£3 million (about $3.6 million) over a period of five years. "The MS Society Tissue Bank has been vital in improving our understanding of MS and finding treatments for some people with the condition. But our top priority now is finding treatments to slow or stop MS for everyone,ā said Sorrel Bickley, PhD, head of biomedical research at MS Society. This new virtual database gives researchers the opportunity to develop innovative projects in which they can combine virtual tissue data with genetic analysis in an easy and more efficient way, and help define how genetic landscape can affect MS and Parkinsonās progression. āWe can see a future where nobody needs to worry about MS getting worse, but for that to happen we urgently need to find treatments that repair myelin ā the protective layer that surrounds our nerves, which is damaged in MS, and protect the nerves from damage. This funding will allow researchers to operate as effectively as possible, and ultimately help us stop MS faster,ā Bickley said.
March 29, 2019 News by Alberto Molano, PhD $1.5M Earmarked for MS Research on Cannabis in Canada In partnership with the CanadianĀ Institutes of Health Research, theĀ MS Society of CanadaĀ has announced $1.5 million to fund research over five years on the effects of cannabis on multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and disease progression. Studies have shown that for each 10-degree increase in latitude, patients newly diagnosed…
December 3, 2018 News by Mary Chapman Mumford & Sons Bassist Helps UK MS Society Tackle Patient Loneliness with New Exhibit A musician, a member of Parliament, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society in the United Kingdom have joined forces to increase awareness on the social isolation that often accompanies multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The campaign grew from the society’s research, which found that up to 60 percent of MS patients, or…
September 27, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Smoking May Speed Up MS Progression, Lower Treatment Effectiveness, Study Reports Smoking may increase multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity, quicken disability progression, and speed the transition from relapsing to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) by as much as eight years, according to anĀ MS Society review study. The review data shows that, although the U.K.ās National Institute for Health…
June 12, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Maccabees Band Plans Charity Concert for the United Kingdom’s MS Society The Maccabees rock band will play an exclusive gig in London to raise funds for the United Kingdom’s MS Society, supporting the organizationās mission of trying to end multiple sclerosis. A key reason for the concert is the group’s passion about the disease. Band members Felix and Hugo White…
October 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Awards Almost $220K to Research into Myelin Repair and Renewal The MS SocietyĀ in the United Kingdom awarded Ā£177,930 (about $217,800) to Dr.Ā Sassan Hafizi, a researcher at University of Portsmouth, to investigate the potentially beneficial role of a central nervous system molecule,Ā called Gas6, in repairingĀ the myelin damage seen in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) . Hafizi and Dr. Arthur…
October 13, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Heparin for MD Myelin Repair to Be Studied in United Kingdom The MS SocietyĀ in the United Kingdom is funding a new project at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland,Ā to examine if Ā heparin, a drug widely used for stroke patients, can repair neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a progressive, debilitating, immune-mediated, neurodegenerative disorder in which…
September 18, 2016 Columns by admin #MSLIFE2016 – Sunday Brings Presentations, Activities Galore A veryĀ full day of activities is planned for today at MS Life, inside London’s ExCel exhibition and convention center. Altogether, there are 15 presentations on the agenda. Three are in the MS Life theatre, and three more are in each of the following four zones: Managing my MS Symptoms;…
August 26, 2016 Columns by admin Help for Anyone Newly Diagnosed with MS Being diagnosed with MS can be more than a bit of a shock at first. Yes, you finally know what youāve got, what all those symptoms you’ve having mean, and you have heard what your neurologist told you. Well, you may have heard, but you didnāt take it in…
January 19, 2016 News by admin Anti-LINGO-1: All You Need to Know Recently, Biogen released results from its Phase 2 acute optic neuritis (AON) RENEW trial which tested Anti-LINGO-1. Learn more about this results here. So what isĀ Anti-LINGO-1? According to the MS Society,Ā Anti-LINGO-1 (also known as BIIB033) is a treatment in development by the pharmaceutical company Biogen which is currently…
November 24, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Funds 3 New Investigations into Symptom Management TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society)Ā in the U.K. recently announcedĀ awards targeted towardsĀ new MS research. In total, 16 projects carefully selected by both a panel of experts and patients living with MS will share MS Society 2015 funding grants amounting toĀ Ā£1,979,879. All projects fulfilled the requirements of high scientific…
November 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Supports 2 Projects Advancing MS Care, Services The United Kingdom basedĀ Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) recently announced Ā£1.98 million in grants toĀ new MS research projects in different disease-related areas. A panel of experts carefully selected 16 projects to be funded through the MS Societyās 2015 grant round, totaling Ā£1,979,879. All selected projects fulfill the requirements of…
November 20, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Funds 5 Projects Aiming to Cure the Disease The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the United Kingdom recently announced the investment of Ā£1.98 million in new MS research. After an in-depth, rigorous review process of the 58 applications submitted, 16 projects were awarded funding through the MS Societyās 2015 grant round totaling Ā£1,979,879. All applications…
November 19, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Might Chocolate Ease Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue? A research team from Oxford Brookes UniversityĀ is being given aĀ Ā£70,000 ($107,000) grant to analyze whether dark chocolate can help ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) will fund the study. The goal of the project, according to aĀ press release,Ā is to investigate if a…
November 19, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Invests in Research into Underlying Causes of Disease The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the United Kingdom recently announced the investment of Ā£1.98 million in new MS research. The 16 projects awarded funding through the MS Societyās 2015 grant round were thoroughly evaluated in a rigorous review process. In total, 58 projects applied forĀ MS Society…
April 8, 2015 News by Isaura Santos Multiple Sclerosis Patients Could One Day Benefit From Brain Boost Study A recent study suggests that in the futureĀ multiple sclerosis patients could benefit from treatments intendedĀ to boost their brain function. The study was published inĀ Nature NeuroscienceĀ and receivedĀ funding fromĀ The Wellcome Trust, the Lister Research Prize and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. According to researchers, patients…
November 19, 2014 News by Isaura Santos ‘Treat Me Right’ MS Society Campaign Shortlisted For Award TheĀ Treat Me RightĀ campaign from the MSĀ SocietyĀ in the UK was recentlyĀ shortlistedĀ for this year’s voluntary sector campaignĀ Public Affairs Award. The campaign was launched in April 2014 during MS Week to raise awareness for the importance of providing the right treatment at the right moment…