Posts by: Ines Martins, PhD

Ines Martins, PhD

Inês holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where she specialized in blood vessel biology, blood stem cells, and cancer. Before that, she studied Cell and Molecular Biology at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and worked as a research fellow at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias and Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência. Inês currently works as a Managing Science Editor, striving to deliver the latest scientific advances to patient communities in a clear and accurate manner.

September 2, 2016September 12, 2016

Inflammation Fighters in Blood Cells Seen to Attack in Entirely New Way

News

To reach tissues infected with foreign agents, neutrophils, the body’s first line of defense, need to travel through vessel walls — and do so by switching on a class of ... Read more

August 29, 2016October 31, 2016

Gilenya-like Therapy Shows Benefit in Secondary Progressive MS Patients in Phase 3 Trial

News

Patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who were treated with BAF312 (siponimod), a sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) inhibitor, in a Phase 3 clinical trial showed a  significantly reduced risk for disability progression compared to ... Read more

August 23, 2016August 23, 2016

Only 47% of Primary Care Doctors in England ‘Confident’ in Treating MS Patients

News

General practitioners (GPs) in England lack confidence in initially assessing and referring onward people with neurological symptoms, especially those with multiple sclerosis, and believe they could benefit from better training in identifying ... Read more

August 22, 2016August 22, 2016

Umbilical Cord Blood-derived Cell Therapy Promotes Remyelination in Mice

News

A cell therapy product derived from human umbilical cord blood cells may be a promising treatment approach for patients with demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or leukodystrophy, ... Read more

August 19, 2016August 19, 2016

MS Progression Slower in People Who Begin Betaseron Therapy at First Signs of Disease, 11-Year Study Says

News

Relapsing multiple sclerosis patients who begin taking Betaferon/Betaseron (interferon beta-1b) immediately after the first MS-related neurologic symptoms appear may realize slower disease progression than those who delay treatment, according to a study ... Read more

August 11, 2016August 11, 2016

Improving Confidence of RRMS Patients May Enhance Quality of Life, Decrease Depression, Study Finds

News

Increasing a person’s confidence that they can complete tasks and reach goals in specific situations may benefit patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In a new study, researchers used ... Read more

August 9, 2016August 9, 2016

Tysabri’s Success in Impairing the Immune System in RRMS May Be Source of Its Problems

News

Although Tysabri (natalizumab) is a highly effective in treating patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), some may develop progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). According to a new study, this occurs because Tysabri impairs immune ... Read more

August 8, 2016August 8, 2016

Best First-Line Treatment for Aggressive MS May Be Equally Aggressive Immunotherapies

News

Patients with aggressive onset multiple sclerosis, characterized by a rapidly progressing disease course and accumulation of disability, may benefit from early aggressive therapies instead of the escalation approach commonly ... Read more

August 3, 2016August 3, 2016

Cornell Scientists Tag and Track Lipid Signaling in Cells, a Possible Force in MS Development

News

Understanding lipid signaling in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be the key to developing more effective therapies for the disease. New work by researchers at Cornell University could bring us closer to unraveling ... Read more

August 1, 2016May 21, 2018

Genentech Enrolling Relapsing MS Patients in Study of Mechanism of Action for Ocrevus

News, Ocrevus

In addition to a new study sponsored by Genentech to test the experimental MS therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in RMS patients who have had a sub-optimal response to previous disease modifying therapies, the company ... Read more

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016

Increasing Disability in MS Matched by Rising Financial, Personal and Work-related Burdens

News

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S. with higher disability scores also have higher rates of health resource utilization, higher healthcare costs, and lower work productivity and health-related quality of ... Read more

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016

Disease Modifying Drugs Seen to Help Protect MS Patients with Benign Status from Greater Disability

News

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and people diagnosed with the disease at a younger age are more likely to have a benign course of MS, remaining fully functional for decades after ... Read more

July 21, 2016May 21, 2018

Study of Potential Therapy for Relapsing MS That Targets B-Cells Now Recruiting Patients in US

News, Ocrevus

Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) are being recruited for a clinical trial evaluating an experimental monoclonal antibody called ublituximab, the National MS Society announced in a recent news release. The study, being conducted at ... Read more

July 20, 2016July 20, 2016

Study That May Benefit MS Patients Awarded Grant from National Stem Cell Foundation

News

A research project that aims to explore how astrocytes can be manipulated to stop or prevent neurodegeneration has received a grant from the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF). The ... Read more

July 15, 2016July 15, 2016

Gut Microbiome in MS Patients Seen to Favor Inflammatory Bacteria in Study

News

A link indeed appears to exist between multiple sclerosis (MS) and unusual changes in the bacterial composition of the gut, according to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). In their study, ... Read more

July 13, 2016July 19, 2016

Side Effects and Convenience of MS Therapies Seen to Determine Patients’ Adherence to Them

News

Despite the existence of several disease-modifying drugs for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), patients’ satisfaction plays a critical role in their adherence to treatment. Improving adherence should be a major ... Read more

July 8, 2016July 8, 2016

Brain Atrophy in MS Patients May Soon Be More Easily and Routinely Examined

News

Detecting brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients requires high quality scans, too expensive and complicated for routine clinical use. But this may change with a new software that simplifies ... Read more

July 6, 2016May 21, 2018

ICER Draft Report Evaluating Therapies for RRMS Now Open for Public Comment

News, Ocrevus

The Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) released the early draft of a paper intended to inform a future report evaluating the effectiveness and value of disease-modifying therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis ... Read more

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016

Tremors Linked to MS Poorly Treated with Symptomatic Medication, Study Finds

News

Disabling tremors can affect as many as half of all people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but they are inadequately treated because of limited therapeutic options and are not sufficiently being ... Read more

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016

Childhood Obesity Linked to Higher Risk of Multiple Sclerosis, Possibly by Altering Vitamin D Levels

News

Obese children and young adults appear to be at a considerably higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the McGill University in Canada and collaborators at ... Read more

June 30, 2016July 1, 2016

Vaccine to Treat Multiple Sclerosis Showing Promise and Soon to Enter Phase 3 Clinical Testing

News

A therapeutic vaccine for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), called Xemys, is showing positive results in pre-clinical and clinical trials, and is soon to enter Phase 3 clinical testing. Xemys was developed ... Read more

June 29, 2016May 21, 2018

1st Potential Therapy for Primary Progressive MS, Ocrelizumab, Under Priority Review by FDA

News, Ocrevus

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is giving priority review to a request to approve Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as a treatment for both forms of multiple sclerosis, the drug’s developer, Genentech, announced. If ... Read more

June 27, 2016June 27, 2016

Fingolimod (Gilenya) Seen to Promote Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Mice, Aiding Remyelination

News

Fingolimod (Gilenya), a drug approved for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to prevent neuroinflammation, may also help these patients by directly enhancing nerve regeneration and increasing myelination in a way ... Read more

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016

Study Finds PoNS Neurostimulator Plus Physical Therapy of Benefit to Advanced MS Patients

News

Helius Medical Technologies announced results of a pilot study, demonstrating the benefits of PoNS Therapy — a combination of the investigational Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device with physical therapy — in ... Read more

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016

Fatigue That Troubles MS Patients Linked to Other Ills Stemming from the Disease

News

Fatigue, the most commonly reported symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), is associated with disease comorbidities such as depression, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, and anxiety, according to the study ... Read more

June 16, 2016June 16, 2016

New PET Tracers May Work to Detect Neuroinflammation in Brains of MS Patients

News

Novel molecular imaging compounds that detect neuroinflammation in the brain of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have been developed by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, and may help ... Read more

June 14, 2016June 14, 2016

Myelination Relies on Mechanical Stimuli Like That Used for Bone Repair, Study Finds

News

Researchers at the University of Buffalo’s Hunter James Kelly Research Institute (HJKRI) discovered that the cells that form myelin in the nervous system respond to mechanical stimulation by activating molecules from ... Read more

June 10, 2016June 10, 2016

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Targeting Immune Cells Begins Phase 1 Trial

News

Arrien Pharmaceuticals has initiated Phase 1 clinical trials of their first agent, ARN-6039, a molecule that targets a specific subset of immune cells called T helper 17 (Th17), for the ... Read more

June 8, 2016June 8, 2016

#CMSC16 – Tai Chi Shown to Improve Balance and Strength in MS Patients

News

Researchers at Texas Woman’s University identified tai chi as a beneficial therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with impaired balance, as it can improve their endurance and strength and decrease ... Read more

June 8, 2016June 8, 2016

#CMSC16 – MS Patients’ Speech Limitations and Difficulty in Swallowing May Be Measured Through Phoneme Rate Production

News

Researchers from Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital found that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who complain of speech limitations or difficulty in swallowing cannot produce specific phonemes, which may be a helpful way ... Read more

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016

#CMSC16 – Home DVD-Guided Exercise May Help Older MS Patients Improve Physical Function, Quality of Life

News

Positive results from a home-based exercise intervention designed to target flexibility, toning, and balance for older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests that exercise is important for improving  patient quality ... Read more

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016

#CMSC16 – Fingolimod (Gilenya) Offers Consistent Health Benefits in Relapsing-Remitting MS Patients

News

Researchers at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Washington and Novartis Pharma revealed that Gilenya (fingolimod) induced a consistent and significant reduction in disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). ... Read more

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016

#CMSC16 – MS Patients, Physical Therapists Have Distinct Decision-Making Processes for Improving Gait, Balance

News

Understanding and combining decision-making processes of both patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and physical therapists to improve balance and gait — the movement of the lower limbs for locomotion ... Read more

June 6, 2016May 21, 2018

#CMSC16 – Genentech’s Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) a Promising Therapy for Primary Progressive MS; Interview with Lead Researcher

News, Ocrevus

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, was founded more than 35 years ago and has been focused on a variety of research fields, including cancer, immunology, neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic diseases, and ... Read more

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016

#CMSC16 – Assessing and Treating Psychiatric Disorders in MS Patients May Improve Prognosis, Quality of Life

News

Assessing and treating psychiatric disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may improve their quality of life and disease prognosis, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School, who presented their ... Read more

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016

#CMSC16 – Novel Model of Home Care for Patients with Progressive MS Proven Beneficial, Increased Patients’ Satisfaction

News

A new model of care implemented to address the needs of patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers has proven beneficial by reducing hospital stays, avoiding major care ... Read more

June 3, 2016June 3, 2016

#CMSC16 – Interview with Bayer’s VP and General Manager on Betaconnect/Betaseron and Customized Therapy

News

Global pharma Bayer Healthcare aims to improve human health by diagnosing, preventing, and treating a variety of diseases. The company currently provides products for general medicine, hematology, neurology, oncology, and women’s healthcare. ... Read more

June 3, 2016June 3, 2016

#CMSC16 – Home Evaluation Prototype to Improve At-home Rehabilitation After Hospitalization

News

Researchers at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta are developing a prototype that addresses physical and cognitive parameters, daily routines, and homes of patients to better implement rehabilitation within the home ... Read more

June 3, 2016June 3, 2016

#CMSC16 – Visual Assessment May Provide Information on Cognitive Function in MS Patients

News

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that visual function in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients correlates with cognitive function ands suggests that disease severity and outcomes of neuroprotective ... Read more

June 3, 2016June 3, 2016

#CMSC16 – Susan Bennett On the Importance of Exercise for MS Patients

News

Susan E. Bennett, a specialist in multiple sclerosis (MS) rehabilitation, reinforced the importance of exercise for MS patients to improve quality of life, during the June 1-4  2016 Annual Meeting ... Read more