March 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Tolebrutinib More Potent Than Other BTK Blockers Tolebrutinib, an investigative inhibitor of Brutonās tyrosine kinase (BTK) being developed byĀ SanofiĀ to treat all forms ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), shows the potential to be more potent than other BTK inhibitors also in advanced clinical trials, scientists reported. The findings, based on preclinical data, were shared at the Americas…
March 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Algorithm Predicts Relapse Risk Using EHR Data Using a two-step machine learning strategy, researchers have developed an algorithm to predict the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse based on data gleaned from electronic health records. “The two-step machine learning model predicts a patient’s future one-year MS relapse risk with clinically actionable accuracy, comparable to other clinical…
March 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Hormone Therapies May Benefit Menopausal MS Patients Hormonal changes over time ā and especially those around menopause ā are often associated with disability worsening in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, which suggests that sex-specific hormone therapies may be useful in MS treatment. Burcu Zeydan, MD, assistant professor of neurology and radiology at Mayo Clinic, provided an overview…
March 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Ublituximab Eases Brain Lesions Better Than Aubagio The experimental medication ublituximab significantly reduces the number of new brain lesions with severe nerve cell degeneration in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) as compared with Aubagio (teriflunomide), according to new data from the Phase 3 ULTIMATE clinical trials. The findings showed that ublituximab induces a rapid…
March 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Cortical Lesions Seen to Predict Disability Worsening A higher burden of lesions in the brain’s cortex is associated with a greater likelihood of disability worsening in multiple sclerosis (MS) and transition to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), researchers report. These results suggest that “monitoring cortical lesion volume … could be useful when stratifying risk of disability…
March 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Spinal Cord Atrophy Predicts ‘Silent Progression’ in Early MS A faster rate of atrophy in the spinal cord of people in earlier stages ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) is likely to indicate “silent progression” ā worsening disability in the absence of relapses ā and a swifter conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), new data show. Antje Bischof, MD, with…
February 28, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Mavenclad Best at Reducing Relapses: Real-world Data People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are treated with Mavenclad (cladribine) are less likely to experience a disease relapse than those who are treated with Gilenya (fingolimod), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), or Aubagio (teriflunomide), according to an analysis of real-world data. The findings were presented at the Americas Committee…
February 28, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Iron Rim Lesions Linked to More Severe Disease Iron rim lesions, or specific regions of chronic inflammation seen on MRI scans of the brain, are associated with greater disability and poorer outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. These findings “could support the use of iron rim lesions as an imaging biomarker for disease severity and…
February 28, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā In New Mouse Model, Evobrutinib Shows Efficacy Researchers developed a new mouse model that more closely captures a specific type of inflammation characteristic of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) ā and found, in experiments, that treatment with an oral medicationĀ called evobrutinibĀ can lessen disease activity. This new mouse model may help scientists in MS to better study…
February 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Immune System ‘Reset’ by Stem Cell Transplant Undergoing a stem cell transplant, a procedure that aims to “reset” a person’s immune system, can reduce relapse rates and ease disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. The findings suggest that such a transplant ā fully, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or aHSCT ā is…
February 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Blocking Fibulin-2 Protein May Increase Remyelination A matrix protein called fibulin-2, which is increased in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, blocks the activity of oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for making myelin. Blocking this protein may be a promising approach to restore myelin in people with the neurodegenerative disease, a study in mice showed. The data was…
February 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Paramagnetic Rim Lesions ‘Highly Specific’ Markers of MS Paramagnetic rim lesions, a specific form of inflammatory damage to the brain, are rarely found in people with disorders other than multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in adults with suspected MS. Its findings suggest that looking at PRLs could be useful for diagnosing the disease. Brain Renner,…
February 24, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Machine Learning Helps Predict Treatment Response in PPMS Machine learning ā using computer algorithms ā can be used to identify people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) who are more likely to respond to treatment, a new study shows. The ability to predict treatment response could allow clinical trials to be designed more efficiently, researchers said. Jean-Pierre…
February 23, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NfL Blood Test May Help Predict MS Activity, Treatment Response Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can be used to predict the risk of future disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The results also suggest that changes in NfL levels could be used to deduce the extent…
February 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Review Highlights Substantial Knowledge Gaps in Women’s Health in MS There has been a marked increase in the amount of research done regarding women’s health in multiple sclerosis (MS) over the last decade or two, but there remain substantial gaps in scientific knowledge, especially for topics outside of pregnancy, according to a scoping review. “Future studies are needed that…
February 21, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cognitive Problems May Be Due to Myelin’s Loss on Inhibitory Neurons Myelin is required for certain inhibitory neurons ā which help to suppress abnormal activity in the brain ā to work as they should, according to a study in mouse models. Loss of myelin on these neurons results in excessive electric activity in other nerve cells, likely disrupting the brain’s ability…
February 14, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Physical Activity, Coping Skills Can Help to Ease Anxiety With MS Getting more physical activity and having effective ways of coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) could help to ease anxiety in patients, a review study suggests. “The findings of this review highlight links between anxiety in MS and a number of diverse factors, all of which are amenable to change,”…
February 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Bacteria-fighting White Blood Cell ‘Traps’ Tied to T-cell Inflammation Molecular “traps” made by neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, to fight bacteria may contribute to the excessive inflammatory activity of T-helper 17 immune T-cells, which are known to play a role in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Neutrophils are equipped with a number of biochemical tools…
February 10, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Eating Beans, Vegetables May Reduce MS Risk Eating a lot of green leafy and other vegetables, beans, nuts and berries seems to significantly lower the likelihood of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study from Iran. The findings also suggest that the chances of developing the disease may be higher in people who eat more…
February 9, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Vumerity Added to NHS of Scotland for People With Active RMMS Note: An earlier version of this story stated the Scottish Medicines Consortium approved Vumerity for RRMS patients in that country. The consortium decides to add a medicine to Scotlandās National Health Service; the MHRA approves treatments for England, Scotland, and Wales. The Scottish Medicines Consortium has approved adding the…
February 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Clinicians Find Pelvic Health Clinic Helpful for Patient Sexual Health Doctors and nurses involved in the care of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) at a center in Scotland “highly” value the existence of a Pelvic Health Clinic for referrals ā where patients identified as having concerns related to sexual health can be referred for consultation for guidance and care…
February 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Patients Who Stop Tysabri for Pregnancy at Higher Risk for Relapse The majority of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who stop taking Tysabri (natalizumab) before or when they become pregnant experience a disease relapse during pregnancy or shortly thereafter, according to a study out of Germany. In more than one out of every 10 cases, relapses were so severe that…
February 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Self-injectable Therapies Tied to No Disease in 50% of Patients at 2 Years More than half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with self-injectable therapies ā namely, glatiramer acetate, marketed as Copaxone, among others, or any of a host of interferons ā showed no evidence of disease activity after two years, according to a study out of Turkey. Among patients treated for…
February 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Combined Data May Predict Person’s Risk of Advancing From CIS to MS A novel algorithm that combines genetic, environmental, and clinical data could be useful for predicting whether people with a first onset ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease ā known as clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)Ā ā will experience relapses or a worsening of their disease over time. The…
February 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study: DNA Methylation in T-cells Affected by MS and Its Treatments Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by changes in methylation ā a type of chemical modification in the DNA that changes how genes are read ā in immune cells called T-cells, according to a new study. The results also suggest that treatments for MS can help to normalize methylation…
February 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Atara, Fujifilm Enter Deal to Produce Cell Therapies Atara Biotherapeutics has reached an agreement withĀ Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies for the production of its cell therapy pipeline, including ATA188, an experimental therapy being investigated for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Under the agreement, Fujifilm will acquire Ataraās T-Cell Operations and Manufacturing (ATOM) facility in Thousand…
January 26, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS How Vitamin D Modulates Immune System Activity Detailed in Study Vitamin D can influence the immune system’s tolerance to certain proteins by changing how DNA is packaged in specific immune cells called dendritic cells, according to a new study. Its findings could have implications for treating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) that are characterized by the immune system attacking…
January 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Explains How Epstein-Barr Virus Infection Could Cause MS Similarities between an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein and a brainĀ protein called GlialCAM may explain why EBV infection increases the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), results from a new study show. Due to the structural resemblance of the two proteins, B-cells ā a type of immune cell that is critical…
January 21, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Imaging Brain Metabolites May Help Diagnose, Monitor MS A new imaging technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, or MRSI, could be useful for diagnosing and monitoring multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study. “If confirmed in longitudinal clinical studies, this new neuroimaging technique could become a standard imaging tool for initial diagnosis, for disease progression and…
January 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Probes Why Some Don’t Experience Placebo Effect Differences in the physical architecture of the brain may explain why some people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but not others, experience a placebo effect, according to a new study. The results suggest that MS itself may make some individuals unable to experience the benefits of a placebo. “Our findings…