Malika Ammam, PhD,  —

A new study confirmed the involvement of three genetic variants, or mutations, of the interleukin-23A (IL-23A) gene, and one variant of its receptor IL-23R,  in the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) and other related inflammatory nervous disorders, together known as inflammatory demyelinating diseases (IDD). Details of this study, “Characterization of…

Multiple sclerosis patients are at risk of developing lymphopenia, or abnormally low levels of immune defense white blood cells, called lymphocytes, according to a study that investigated lymphocyte counts in people with relapsing MS both before and after the start of treatment. The study, “Lymphopenia in treatment-naive relapsing multiple…

Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, in collaboration with various institutions from north America and Europe, found that teriflunomide (Aubagio) is well-tolerated and efficient for long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings, entitled “Long-term safety and efficacy of teriflunomide,” were…

On October 8, 2015, data on two Phase III clinical trials called FREEDOMS and FREEDOMS II on Gilenya (fingolimod), a drug developed by Novartis, were presented at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), currently being held in Barcelona, Spain (October 7-10).

New developments in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) are being discussed at this year’s 31st annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). The symposium, being held in Barcelona, Spain, will foster discussions about development of individualized therapies for MS patients through a more targeted and efficient…

On September 16, 2015, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche announced that ocrelizumab, a drug originally designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis that saw its development stopped due to an association with infections, could potentially treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as well as primary progressive MS (PPMS) with minimal sides effects compared…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition which damages parts of neurons resulting in inefficient communication within the nervous system. It is believed that autoimmune disorders and environmental factors, such as infections, can cause MS disease development. There is currently no cure for MS, although the disease can be managed by medications…

In a newly published study in the PLOS One journal entitled “Reliability of Intra-Retinal Layer Thickness Estimates“, researchers from Germany explored the precision and reliability of a medical imaging technique named optical coherence tomography (OCT) in measurements of thickness of different intra-retinal layers in…