December 19, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Talk therapy found to ease fatigue in MS – with or without follow-up A 20-week talk therapy program led to significant reductions in fatigue for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā benefits that were sustained to the end of the year-long trial regardless of whether patients participated in additional booster sessions. Such sessions were offered two and four months after the end…
December 15, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NK cells may hold key to link between viral infections, MS Natural killer (NK) cells, a type of immune cell, are critical for preventing an immune response against an infecting virus from triggering multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. āOur study demonstrates that the main protective factors against MS are distinct cytotoxic [cell-killing] NK cell responses,ā the researchers wrote…
December 14, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Vitamin B12 transport system can carry Gilenya into the brain: Study The molecular process that brings vitamin B12 into the brain can also transport Gilenya (fingolimod), an approved treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The finding “supports creating brain-targeted B12 formulations” for MS, said Jerold Chun, MD, PhD, co-author of the study at Sanford Burnham…
December 13, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Novel compound ZCAN262 restores lost myelin in MS mouse models A novel compound that can lessen toxic overactivation of nerve cells was found to significantly reduce disease activity and restore lost myelin in two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. Researchers say the compound, ZCAN262, may be a potential new treatment for MS should future…
December 8, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mediterranean diet linked to better mental health in older MS patients Elderly adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who adhere more to a Mediterranean diet tend to have less severe disability and fewer mental health, sleep, and cognitive problems, according to a new study. “This study has provided evidence that adopting [a Mediterranean diet] at higher levels was associated with lower…
December 7, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Phase 3 studies of BTK inhibitor evobrutinib fail to meet main goal The Phase 3 EVOLUTION clinical trials have failed to demonstrate that evobrutinib is more effective than the approved medication Aubagio (teriflunomide) at preventing disease flares in people with relapsing types of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings, which were shared by the drug’s developer Merck KGaA (known…
December 6, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Essential oils from pumpkins, green tea reduce brain damage in MS rats Treatment with essential oils derived from green tea or pumpkin reduced brain damage in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. The oils also helped to restore the abnormal levels of neurotransmitters ā chemical messengers that nerve cells use to communicate ā and reduce markers…
December 5, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Trial testing metformin, alpha-lipoic acid in progressive MS set to start A new clinical trial in Australia, called PLATYPUS, will simultaneously test two medications that have already been approved for other conditions in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, expected to launch in January, will use an adaptive design, meaning data will be analyzed as…
November 30, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem cell therapy well tolerated in SPMS clinical trial A novel therapy in which neural stem cells are injected into the brain was well tolerated by 15 people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in a pilot clinical trial. Participants’ disability levels and cognition, as well as markers of inflammation and nerve damage, all remained stable for up…
November 29, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stopping DMT use tied to greater long-term disability in MS database People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who discontinue a disease-modifying treatment are more likely to have greater long-term disability than patients who continue with such therapies or go untreated, a registry database study reports. Findings also suggest that patients who self-report better mobility early in their disease course also…
November 27, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS FDA clears AI tool for detecting disease activity on MRI scans Pixyl.Neuro, a next-generation software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) in analyzing MRI scans to help detect and monitor multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use. 510(k) clearance is required for medical devices used in the…
November 20, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS HHV-6A herpes virus tied to more nerve damage before onset of MS Infection with a herpes virus known as HHV-6A is associated with significantly higher levels of the nerve damage biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the years leading up to multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. “In blood samples from individuals who later developed MS, we could see that antibodies…
November 10, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS CSF protein levels at diagnosis may help predict MS long-term outcomes Levels of proteins in the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), can help predict disease activity and disability worsening for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. “We identified several promising protein biomarkers which could be used to predict short-term activity…
November 10, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ATA188 fails to outperform placebo in EMBOLD clinical trial ATA188, an experimental cell therapy targeting the Epstein-Barr virus, failed to outperform a placebo at easing disability levels in people with nonactive progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from the Phase 2 portion of the EMBOLD clinical trial. The medication also showed no signs of…
November 8, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Online brain training games improved cognition in small MS trial The use of a computer-based program called BrainHQ led to significantly improved scores on cognitive tests among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a small clinical trial in Nebraska. The study was led by Samantha Jack, PhD, as part of work she did as a…
November 8, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS High blood NfL levels predict greater MS disability in year or two: Study Elevated blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), an established biomarker of nerve damage, are associated with a higher risk of near-term disability worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large study. Findings imply that there’s usually a window of time ā about a year or…
November 7, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Blocking NLRP3 inflammasome eases MS severity in mouse model Blocking the activity of a protein complex called the NLRP3 inflammasome lessened disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. Results point to NLRP3 as a promising target to ease inflammation in people with MS, but additional studies will be needed to determine the…
November 3, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AI tool has potential to better track MS lesions over time: Study An artificial intelligence (AI) program, called iQ-MS, outperforms traditional radiologist-based measures at quantifying changes in lesions over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. “iQ-MS is a sensitive and accurate tool for monitoring MRI scans in people with MS by providing quantitative metrics that value-add…
November 3, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study: Some types of MS pain make exercise more difficult Chronic pain can make it harder for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to be physically active, but some types of pain have a bigger effect than others, a study suggests. The findings show not just whether a patient is having chronic pain needs to be considered, but also what…
November 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Circadian rhythm of certain stem cells may offer treatment approach Targeting genes that control the daily activity cycle of cells that are responsible for repairing myelin in the brain and spinal cord may be a useful strategy for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. Findings also point to a potential link between myelin disorders such as MS…
November 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS African American MS patients have high B-cell levels in CSF, study says People with multiple sclerosis (MS) of African descent had higher levels of inflammatory B-cells in the fluid around the brain and spinal cord compared with white MS patients in a small U.S. study. These findings may help to explain why Black people with MS tend to experience a faster…
November 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Immune cell, fat metabolism changes may help explain MS progression More activity among certain immune cells, as well as differences in immune signaling molecules, iron regulation, and fat metabolism, may explain why multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses more over time in some people than in others, researchers report. These findings may help to better understand the molecular mechanisms leading to…
October 31, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gut bacteria can differ among MS patients by genetic disease risk People with a higher genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) were seen to have detectable differences in their gut bacteria in a small study. “There seems to be an association between genetic risk score and [changes in gut bacteria] in triggering the disease in a small cohort of MS…
October 30, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NEDA 3 and 4 ‘hard to achieve’ with relapsing MS, real-world study finds Achieving NEDA ā no evidence of disease activity ā after two years of treatment was not common among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at a center in Italy. NEDA more often was reached, however, when researchers didn’t include the first few months of treatment in their analysis, suggesting…
October 20, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Costs of ‘COVID-19 gap’ in MS expected to top $500M in Canada The overall financial impact of changes in treatment and delayed diagnoses for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic likely will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars between 2020 and 2024 in terms of extra healthcare costs and lost productivity, as well…
October 20, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Machine learning used to estimate when brain shrinkage begins Brain atrophy (shrinkage) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) begins on average more than five years before disease symptoms appear, according to a new study based on machine learning models. “Although the onset of progressive brain tissue loss measured by MRI is not synonymous with the true biological…
October 19, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Foralumab seen to ease brain inflammation in SPMS Six months of treatment with foralumab, administered into the nose, led to decreases in microglial activity in five of six people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) involved in an expanded access program. Microglia are resident immune cells in the brain believed to play a role in driving…
October 18, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: New research may help explain EBV and MS link New research by scientists in Austria may shed light on the link between theĀ Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) andĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), and explain why only some people infected with EBV ā previously found to raise the risk of MSĀ by 32 times ā go on to develop the neurodegenerative disorder. Distinct…
October 17, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Blood biomarker may help to predict disability in MS Blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker of nerve damage, were seen to increase about a year or two prior to disability worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly among patients whose disease progressed without any relapse activity. That’s according to new data presented at the…
October 17, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Early high-efficacy treatment helps to slow disability in pediatric-onset MS Use of high-efficacy therapies can lower the risk of disability progression in people with childhood-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly if given in early disease stages when disablingĀ symptoms are negligible. That’s according to data shared at the 9th joint meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and…