Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

Almost all of the nearly 700 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Italy who responded to a patient survey reported at least one unmet MS care need — ranging from insufficient access to primary care, social interactions, assistance, doctor-patient relationships, and information about the neurodegenerative disease. More than half…

A subset of astrocytes — a type of support cell for the central nervous system — has a form of immune-related memory that might contribute to a worsening of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. Much like immune cells, these astrocytes can remember inflammatory stimuli that they previously have…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a twofold higher risk of seizures compared with the general population, according to pooled data from clinical trials. Among MS patients, treatment with sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulators, a class of MS disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that includes the oral medications Gilenya (fingolimod),…

Using antibodies against a viral protein that’s needed for the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to invade human cells was found to successfully prevent viral infections and EBV-associated cancer in mice in a new study. By identifying sites where these antibodies bind to the viral protein — called gp42 — researchers…

The Polish biotechnology company PolTREG plans to launch Phase 2 trials testing its Tregs therapy — the T-cell-based treatment PTG-007 — in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Poland later this year. The biotech company has earned a Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) certification for its new manufacturing…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided not to approve an application seeking clearance of GA Depot — a long-acting formulation of glatiramer acetate — for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Importantly, this is not a rejection of the application for the…

The presence in the brain of chronic inflammatory lesions — called paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with a greater relapse burden and faster disability progression in the long term, according to a new U.S. study. Among more than 150 patients who…

Bolstered by Phase 2 trial data showing that frexalimab safely reduces the number of brain lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), developer Sanofi has launched a pair of Phase 3 studies that will test the investigational therapy in relapsing and progressive MS. One of…

An intermittent fasting (IF) diet may lead to immune and metabolic alterations that ease multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and improve quality of life, a recent review of published studies suggests. While evidence from these few small clinical trials indicates an IF diet…

Measuring levels of nitric oxide metabolites in the blood could be a diagnostic biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS), recent research suggests. The molecules, collectively called NOx, were elevated in the blood of people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and primary-progressive MS…

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and a longer but more moderate exercise regimen seem to be of similar benefit to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in terms of fatigue, body composition, and most cognitive and cardiovascular fitness domains, according to a recent meta-analysis. In a limited number of studies, HIIT did…

Geographical proximity to neurologists and multiple sclerosis (MS) speciality care centers is lower for people living in rural regions of the U.S. relative to metropolitan areas, according to recent research. Areas with higher proportions of Hispanic individuals, uninsured people, and those with disabilities generally also were more likely to…

A diet low in wheat was linked to reductions in circulating inflammatory immune cells and improvements in pain-related life quality among a small group of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to findings from a pilot clinical trial conducted in Germany. The trial’s findings build upon another recent…

A smartphone application called Floodlight Open may help in tracking areas of function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but more work is needed to improve patient adherence to using the app in a real-world setting, according to a new study. Researchers tested Floodlight Open’s use among more than…

Junctions between nerve cells and certain cells called oligodendrocyte precursor cells, or OPCs, in the brain and spinal cord may play an important role in producing myelin, the protective substance that’s progressively lost in multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. OPCs are abundant in the brain and spinal…

Women with a history of depression around the time they get pregnant are at increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. Likewise, women who have an autoimmune disease are more likely to get depressed during pregnancy and in the year after…

Daily treatment with CNM-Au8 led to sustained improvements in vision and cognition for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to nearly three years of follow-up in the VISIONARY-MS trial and its open-label extension (OLE). Developer Clene Nanomedicine plans to present full trial results at the upcoming ACTRIMS…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared a Phase 2 clinical trial to test Kyverna Therapeutics‘ cell-based therapy candidate KYV-101 in people with treatment-resistant progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Called KYSA-7 (NCT06138132), the open-label trial will enroll an estimated 12 patients with either primary progressive…

Immune responses against an ancient viral protein called pHERV-W that’s encoded in the human genome are higher in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with active disease compared with those who are clinically stable, according to recent research. The findings offer further support for a link between multiple sclerosis…

The presence of damaged myelin — the fatty, protective substance surrounding nerve cells that’s lost in multiple sclerosis (MS) — may be more harmful to nerve cells than its removal altogether, according to new preclinical research. In mouse models of myelin-associated disease, a failure of microglia — the…

About three-quarters of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given an under-the-skin formulation of cladribine had no disease activity or didn’t receive any additional therapies 4.5 years after starting treatment, a study shows. Cladribine is the active ingredient in the oral therapy Mavenclad and is typically given in two short treatment…

Women who smoked during pregnancy, and their offspring, showed a significantly higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in a recent Danish study. “Our observations add further to the evidence implicating smoking in the development of MS and suggest that intra-uterine exposure to tobacco smoke may increase MS risk,”…

The Swank and Wahls diets — two dietary strategies often adopted by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — were similarly effective at easing functional disability after six months among people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to data from a small clinical trial. These functional gains were mostly driven…

Advanced Innovative Partners (AIP) has agreed to assist GlobeStar Therapeutics Corporation and SMI Healthcare in designing and running clinical trials to evaluate Project Amethyst, a patented triple combination of U.S.-approved medications aiming to prevent neurodegeneration due to multiple sclerosis (MS). This definitive agreement follows a…

A stem cell transplant was found to be better than Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for lowering disease activity and slowing disability worsening in people with highly active relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a small study in Lithuania showed. While both treatments were similarly effective in the first couple of…

A scoring system that accounts for relapses and MRI activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during their first year on an oral disease-modifying therapy (DMT) was found to be predictive of worse short-term outcomes for people with relapsing forms of the neurodegenerative disorder, a study showed. “The occurrence of…

The most common real-world side effects linked to dalfampridine — sold as Ampyra and with generics available — are similar to those listed on its prescribing label for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a safety surveillance database. Common side effects included urinary tract infection (UTI), dizziness…

A patient’s ability to cope with and recover from adversity — called psychological resilience — was found to impact the observed relationship between fear of relapse and life quality among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a new study. Essentially, MS patients who had…

Experiencing certain stressors during childhood may predict the future presence and severity of fatigue, pain, and psychiatric conditions associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new U.S. study. Childhood physical and emotional stressors were each significantly linked to a higher likelihood of MS patients experiencing each of the…

In a surprise discovery, researchers found that deleting a protein called integrin alpha-3 blocked harmful immune cells from accessing the brain — and prevented the onset of symptoms — in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, the researchers say that targeting this protein might be one way…