Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

A particular finding on an MRI scan, called the central vein sign (CVS), is sufficient to support a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis without the need for an invasive lumbar puncture, a new U.K. study suggests. The presence of six lesions with a CVS, where a vein is found…

A pair of scientists have been awarded a 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for their work uncovering factors that give rise to multiple sclerosis (MS), paving the way for new therapeutic developments. Sometimes referred to as the “Oscars of Science,” Breakthrough Prizes are given each year to…

Clinical improvements in vision and cognition linked to the use of treatment candidate CNM-Au8 were correlated with signs of nerve cell repair and remyelination among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to new data. Remyelination is the process by which myelin, the fatty substance surrounding nerve cells…

A high dose cholecalciferol, a form of vitamin D, significantly reduced the risk of further disease activity in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), published findings from a Phase 3 trial show. Vitamin D was similarly effective for reducing disease activity among a subgroup of participants who would…

Evidence of neurological damage over time — known as dissemination in time, or DIT — may not be necessary to reach a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) for all patients, according to a report by U.K. researchers. Traditionally, an MS diagnosis would typically require both DIT and DIS,…

Neurons, also called nerve cells, collected from brain lesions of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) were found to accumulate new genetic mutations at a significantly faster rate than healthy neurons did, according to a new report. The researchers also found that neurons in such lesions exhibited distinct mutation…

Proposed revisions to the McDonald criteria, a set of diagnostic guidelines for multiple sclerosis (MS), may help diagnose people who could have been missed under earlier versions, according to a recent analysis. That includes people with radiological-only onset, when there are signs of disease on MRI scans but…

Note: This study was updated March 3, 2025, to correct that a ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. Eating a version of the low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet for six months led to an anti-inflammatory shift in immune cell populations among people with stable, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)…

Treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) may have a beneficial effect on paramagnetic rim lesions — known as PRL, these are a type of chronic inflammatory lesion — in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a newly shared analysis. PRLs, a form of nerve damage seen in MS, have…

Immune cells from people with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibit distinct gene activity just before patients have a disease relapse, according to recent research. The observed immune perturbations, which are no longer observed by the time the relapse is actively underway, are consistent with the body’s response to a reactivation…

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with low educational attainment are more likely to delay the start of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) after a diagnosis than those with a high educational status, a Danish study suggests. Educational status wasn’t significantly associated with diagnostic delays after the onset of symptoms,…

A three-month course of acupuncture was associated with gains in certain aspects of cognition for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in a small clinical trial. The traditional Chinese medicine was also linked to less fatigue, improved sleep, and reductions in certain psychological problems such as depression. The findings…

A 14-week regimen of physical therapy combined with PoNS — a neurostimulator device used to improve mobility — led to significant gait improvements in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), with evidence that its benefits are sustained over time, according to new data from the real-world PoNSTEP clinical study.

Immunic Therapeutics says it remains “on track” in testing its multiple sclerosis treatment candidate vidofludimus calcium in twin Phase 3 clinical trials with people who have relapsing disease — and in the Phase 2 CALLIPER study involving those with progressive forms of MS. Indeed, in a new company…

An interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors, including tobacco smoke exposure, affects brain development in early childhood, which could increase the likelihood a person will develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. Among young children in the Netherlands, being at a high genetic risk for MS,…

Blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a biomarker of nerve cell damage used in multiple sclerosis (MS) research — are influenced by factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), and storage conditions of the blood samples, according to a recent report. Such factors may need to…

Roche signed a definitive agreement to acquire Poseida Therapeutics, a deal that includes Poseida’s portfolio of CAR T-cell therapy candidates being developed for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. Poseida and Roche have been collaborating since 2022 on cell therapies for people with blood cancer. The companies…

Activation of a protein called DLK may drive the death of nerve cells that have been demyelinated, or lost their protective myelin coating, in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study from U.S. researchers. The findings shed light on how a failure to repair lost or damaged…

The number of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Australia rose by more than 50% in the decade between 2010 and 2021, according to a recent report. These findings are consistent with global observations that the prevalence of MS has been steadily increasing worldwide. “Research and rapidly translated…

An independent data monitoring committee has recommended that the twin ENSURE Phase 3 trials testing vidofludimus calcium in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) continue as planned without adjustments. The opinion that the trials are worth continuing was based on a review of interim, unblinded trial…

Helius Medical Technologies is opposing new decisions from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that stipulate how much of the cost of its PoNS device — a neurostimulator designed to improve mobility in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — will be covered by these…

Transplanting genetically engineered oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which give rise to mature myelin-making cells, significantly boosted myelin repair in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS)-like chronic brain lesions. The cells were engineered to ignore chemical signals that would normally inhibit OPCs being recruited into lesions and then restore…

Sanofi has ended a Phase 2 clinical trial into oditrasertib, an investigational RIPK1 inhibitor therapy, in people with relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) after it failed to meet its goals. The study, which had started dosing early last year, failed to show that oditrasertib significantly lowered…

Combining the approved medication Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) with targeted therapy using a patient’s own immune cells may eventually be a promising way of treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. The targeted therapy uses tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs), which are being tested in clinical trials, to make…

By studying pairs of identical twins, researchers have identified a population of immune cells whose early activation and migration into the brain might contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) onset. MS patients showed an altered profile of a population of immune cells called CD8 T-cells in the blood relative to…

Acupuncture may be a promising complementary approach for easing fatigue and improving quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small review study and meta-analysis. Still, the study highlighted a need for future clinical trials that use more standardized acupuncture approaches, according to the researchers,…

Sanofi’s tolebrutinib significantly delayed disability progression, by 31%, and increased the rates of disability improvement compared with a placebo in people with nonrelapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to new data from the HERCULES Phase 3 clinical trial. The investigational BTK inhibitor also was found to significantly…

Continuous treatment with Briumvi (ublituximab) over five years was associated with low rates of relapses and confirmed disability progression among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to analyses from the open-label extension (OLE) phase of the treatment’s ULTIMATE Phase 3 trials. Relative to patients who…

The pharmaceutical company Médunik Canada and Population Council, a nonprofit research organization, are teaming up to investigate the potential use of segesterone acetate, a derivative of the hormone progesterone, as a multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. The compound is expected to promote the restoration of myelin, the…

A clinical trial is evaluating whether combining a cognitive rehabilitation program with a virtual reality (VR)-based aerobic exercise regimen will improve learning and memory in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and motor disability. Researchers expect the approach will show cognitive benefits via positive effects on a brain region called…