March 9, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Icobrain MS, an AI tool for assessing MRI scans, being tested in UK An upcoming study will investigate how well icobrain MS, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology, can interpret MRI data from people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and how its use might influence patient care. The project, called AssistMS and led by Icometrix — the technology’s developer — and Queen Mary University of London…
March 8, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Study may help explain protective effects of pregnancy in MS A new study of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had previously given birth may have identified one of the mechanisms behind the lasting protective effects of pregnancy seen in MS patients. Patients who’d had children were found to have a number of differences in methylation, a type of…
March 7, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: GA Depot found to ease MS disability in Phase 3 trial GA Depot, an experimental long-acting version of glatiramer acetate, significantly reduced relapse rates and prevented the development of new lesions among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, according to new data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. Disability levels also were significantly reduced with the treatment, given…
March 7, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: RRMS treatment may ‘give patients a better choice’ New data from a Phase 2 clinical trial testing vidofludimus calcium, Immunic Therapeutics’ novel oral treatment candidate for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), show promising safety and efficacy, according to the company’s chief medical officer. The therapy was found to safely reduce brain lesions and prevent disability progression in…
March 2, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Documentary offers hope for the Black MS community Multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been considered a disease that mostly affects white women. But in the U.S., the numbers indicate that Black people, particularly Black women, may be more likely to develop the neurodegenerative disease than people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. For Black individuals, this misunderstanding…
February 28, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Astrocyte receptors may help to ease MS cognitive issues Activating certain receptors on astrocytes — a type of nerve support cell — may offer a way of treating cognitive problems in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. MS mouse models genetically engineered to lack these receptors, called TNFR2, showed signs of greater cognitive problems, whereas cognitive gains…
February 28, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Intermittent fasting shows potential to lessen MS severity Limiting calorie intake over two days of each week for three months led to beneficial immune and metabolic changes, as well as improvements in cognitive function, among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study found. A restrictive diet also promoted a better body composition, namely a reduction in…
February 27, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Loss of myelin in spinal cord tied to MS disability A greater loss of myelin — the protective coating around nerve fibers — in the part of the spinal cord found in the neck was associated with worse disability in people with multiple sclerosis, data from a new study showed. More substantial myelin loss in this region, known…
February 27, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: ‘Bacteria X’ in gut microbiome may drive inflammation A certain bacterial species is enriched in the gut of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) and may promote neuroinflammation and drive disability progression in these patients, a study found. When isolated from SPMS patients and given to a mouse model, this strain led to more pronounced neurological…
February 24, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Anxiety, depression more common in MS before onset Psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety are more common among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the five years leading up to disease onset than in people from the general population, according to a recent analysis. Individuals who would later go on to develop clinical signs of MS also…
February 23, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Mitochondria changes found early on in progressive MS: Mouse study Changes in mitochondria — cells’ energy production centers — are evident in early disease stages in a mouse model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), but were not found in a model of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to researchers. These changes, seen before symptoms of the disease started, were…
February 22, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Receptor may link gut microbiome to immune system in MS: Study The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) may facilitate or “tune” the crosstalk between the gut microbiome and the immune responses that have been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. Deleting this receptor in a set of immune T-cells — a suspected factor in MS onset and progression…
February 21, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD High salt disrupts anti-inflammatory immune cells’ energy production Eating too much salt can disrupt the energy metabolism of regulatory T-cells (Tregs), which normally work to control inflammation and fight autoimmunity, prompting them to adopt an inflammatory profile similar to what’s seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, a study found. Even a short-term exposure to…
February 20, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Forum opens Thursday with theme of ‘going viral’ The multiple sclerosis (MS) community is gearing up for the eighth annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, taking place this week both virtually and in San Diego, California. The yearly meeting, occurring Feb. 23-25 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, is bringing together…
February 15, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Tascenso ODT launches in US with patient support program Tascenso ODT, an approved alternative to Gilenya (fingolimod), is now available to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S., where it’s being marketed by Cycle Pharmaceuticals. The launch comes about a month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a 0.5 mg dose of the…
February 7, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Swallowing problems are common for MS patients, review study finds Nearly half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience swallowing difficulties, which is notably higher than rates seen in the general population, according to a recent review study and meta-analysis. Because swallowing problems, or dysphagia, can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening, complications, it is important for patients to be routinely…
February 2, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Coconut Oil and Green Tea Lead to Gait, Balance Gains in MS Patients Supplementation with coconut oil and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea extract, in combination with a Mediterranean-style diet, was associated with improvements in balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Those were the findings of a small pilot study in Spain, which also found that all participants,…
January 31, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Rewind’s Remyelinating Therapy Pipeline Backed by New Investments Rewind Therapeutics has received new investments to support the development of its therapeutic candidates designed to promote remyelination in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Currently, the company is focused on advancing its lead candidate toward the clinic as it continues to build a pipeline of additional…
January 30, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Global Experts Agree on Criteria to Diagnose Optic Neuritis Researchers have developed a set of criteria to diagnose optic neuritis (ON) — inflammation in the nerve fibers sending signals to and from the eye — and identify whether it is caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions. The criteria, developed by an international group of specialists,…
January 25, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Ocrevus Limits Progression Equally in Black, White People With RRMS Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) seems to be equally effective at stabilizing disease activity in Black and white patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a U.S. study found. Disability levels and MRI disease markers remained generally unchanged over the two-year study in both groups, despite Black patients having more severe disability…
January 20, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Smoking Linked to Depression and Anxiety in MS: Review Study Smoking tobacco products is associated with a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a recent systematic review. Across the evaluated studies, current smoking was linked to a 1.3–2.3 times higher prevalence of depression, and about a 1.2 times higher rate of anxiety.
January 19, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Tascenso ODT, a Gilenya Alternative, Wins New FDA Approval in MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Tascenso ODT, a bioequivalent formulation of the multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Gilenya (fingolimod), at a higher patient dose, according to the pharmaceutical company that will market the treatment in the U.S. The newly approved therapy, which is delivered as…
January 16, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Therapeutic Target for Inflammation Driven by Astrocytes Seen Using a new approach, researchers have identified new signaling molecules that regulate the activation of certain subsets of astrocytes thought to drive inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS). The new methodology, called FIND-seq, enables the selection of single cells from a sample based on the expression of specific genes and…
January 9, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Program Bringing PoNS Device to MS Patients at Lower Cost Extended Helius Medical Technologies has extended by six months a program that allows multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S. to access its Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device at a reduced cost. The Patient Therapy Access Program (PTAP) partly subsidizes the cost of using PoNS — an…
January 4, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD EDSS Score Drop of 1 Point Seen in 2nd SPMS Patient on Foralumab A second person with non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) treated with foralumab nasal spray in a single-patient access program is continuing to show improvements 11 months after starting the therapy, according to an update from foralumab’s developer, Tiziana Life Sciences. The patient, dubbed EA2, experienced a…
January 3, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD FDA OKs Phase 3 Trial of Masitinib for Progressive Forms of MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared AB Science to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial of its investigational treatment masitinib in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision follows approvals in several European countries that will also host trial sites, including…
December 28, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Ublituximab, Now Briumvi, Approved in US for Relapsing Forms of MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved TG Therapeutics‘ B-cell-depleting therapy ublituximab under the brand name Briumvi for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The approval covers clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and active secondary progressive…
December 28, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Walking Difficulties Improve for MS Patients With Natural Supplement Daily use of MS14, a natural product derived from Persian medicine, safely led to gains in physical activity and walking for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with walking difficulties, according to data from a small placebo-controlled trial. MS14, which contains both herbal and marine ingredients, “could be used as…
December 20, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Review Study Highlights Potential of NfL as MS Prognosis Biomarker Levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve cell damage, may help predict multiple sclerosis (MS) prognosis and response to treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod), according to a review of five randomized clinical trials. Most of the evaluations in the review study were qualitative, however, meaning trial…
December 2, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Alcohol May Interfere With Tecfidera Metabolism, Study Finds Consuming alcohol around dosing time could limit the effectiveness of Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) for multiple sclerosis patients, a recent study suggests. Results from the study, which involved lab and mouse experiments, showed alcohol inhibits an enzyme in the liver that’s necessary to break down Tecfidera’s main ingredient, dimethyl…