October 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Risk of MS Activity After DMT Stop Greater With RRMS, Younger Age Note: This story was updated Oct. 31, 2022, to correct that in the six months after treatment discontinuation, relapses were reported in 18.8% of RMMS patients and 3.5% of those with SPMS. When multiple sclerosis (MS) patients stop their disease-modifying treatment, the risk of relapses and disease activity on…
October 24, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Trethera Awarded $1.6M to Develop TRE-515 as Optic Neuritis Treatment Trethera has been awarded a $1.6 million grant to further develop TRE-515 as a potential treatment for optic neuritis ā inflammation of the nerves that transmit data from the eyes to the brain ā which also is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). TRE-515 is a first-in-class…
October 24, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Recurrent MS Disability Progression Measures May Aid Trial Efficiency Measuring disability progression every time it occurs, rather than just tracking whether it occurs, could improve the statistical power of clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly for progressive forms of the disease. That’s according to scientists at Roche and several academic institutions who published their findings in…
October 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS SYK Protein Needed for Microglial Cells to Clear Molecular Debris A protein called spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is critical for microglia, the brainās immune cells, to clear the toxic debris that accumulates in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders, a mouse model study shows. āWe have discovered a master controller of the cell type and processes that are…
October 18, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Therapy EHP-101 Boosts Blood Vessel Growth, Targets Inflammation EHP-101, an experimental treatment being clinically tested for multiple sclerosis (MS), activates a cellular signaling pathway that promotes blood vessel development and reduces inflammation following brain injury, a new study shows. The findings continue to support the use of EHP-101 in MS, a condition marked by excess inflammation and…
October 13, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New Gait Analysis Tool Found to Correctly ID MS Patients in Videos A new tool that analyzes gait, or walking patterns, of people on a treadmill ā using video recordings from a simple digital camera ā is able to accurately identify those with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. Scientists said the gait-analysis tool may be a low-cost and easy-to-use way…
October 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Partnership Aims at Cell Therapy Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus in MS NexImmune is working with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to develop cell therapies for people with immunological disorders associated with certain viral infections, namely the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). A history of infection with EBV ā mostly…
October 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Passive Health Tracking Can Predict Changes in MS, Study Says Data passively collected by smartphone apps and fitness trackers can be used to accurately predict the risk of depression, severe fatigue, poor sleep quality, and symptom worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) when in-person health visits are suddenly limited. These are the findings of a small study that…
October 10, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Tecfidera Works Better Than Avonex to Ease MS in Children in Trial Among children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) resulted in less disease activity on MRI scans and fewer relapses, compared with Avonex (interferon beta-1a), according to new data from the CONNECT Phase 3 trial. Researchers noted the lack of disease-modifying therapies…
October 7, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS PET Tracer for Myelin Loss Shows Good Safety in 1st-in-human Study A novel tracer designed to detect myelin loss in PET scans ā imaging tests that use a radioactive substance, called a tracer, to look for disease in the body ā showed a good safety profile in a small first-in-human study. Scientists say this new tracer could potentially help in evaluating…
October 5, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Direct Electrical Stimulation of Brain Found to Ease MS Spasticity Electrical stimulation of the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp may ease some measures of spasticity for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results from a small clinical trial. Using this novel route of brain stimulation was shown to impact muscle contractions in patients with spasticity…
October 4, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem Cell Transplant May Halt Nerve Fiber Damage in RRMS: Study Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) reduces markers of nerve fiber and myelin damage in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a small study done in Sweden. “We investigated if therapeutic intervention with aHSCT could halt the injurious process leading to tissue damage in MS,” researchers wrote.
October 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Guar Gum, Type of Dietary Fiber, Eases MS Severity in Mouse Model Guar gum, a type of dietary fiber that can be taken as a supplement, lessened inflammation and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. While fiber-rich diets have long been recommended to improve overall health, these findings help pinpoint which fibers have…
September 30, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Quick MRI Method May Reliably Detect Myelin Repair in People A quick MRI-based method called SyMRI may be useful in future clinical trials to test experimental myelin-repairing therapies in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The study, “Quantification of individual remyelination during short-term disease course by synthetic magnetic resonance imaging,” was published inĀ Brain…
September 29, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Supports MS Disability Test Score as Outcome Measure in Trials The Overall Disability Response Score, a combination of three different assessments of disability, could be used to more accurately evaluate the effectiveness of treatments in multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials, a new study illustrates. The score is composed of three measures commonly used to assess disability in MS, which…
September 28, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AI Tool Aims to Make Progressive MS Trials More Effective for Patients A new machine learning tool could help make clinical trials for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) more efficient and effective, a study suggests. Its scientists propose that the tool, when used in initial patient studies, works to more rapidly move a potential progressive MS treatment into pivotal Phase…
September 27, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Dual Cognitive, Motor Tasks More Difficult Even in Early MS Stages Even in early stages of disease, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly experience more difficulties performing cognitive and motor tasks simultaneously than do people without MS, a new study indicates. The study, “Cognitive-motor interference in people with mild to moderate multiple sclerosis, in comparison with healthy…
September 26, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Pregnancy Risks Not Likely to Rise With Early DMT Use, Study Finds The rates of pregnancy complications are not higher in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were usingĀ disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in the earliest stages of pregnancy, a study reported. The study, “Pregnancy outcomes after early fetal exposure to injectable first-line treatments, dimethyl fumarate or natalizumab in…
September 23, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Survival Much Higher for Patients Who Take DMTs as Directed: Study The likelihood of survival is about 7.5 times higher for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who take their disease-modifying treatments as directed compared with those who do not, an analysis of data from U.S. veterans shows. The study, “Impact of Adherence with Disease-Modifying Therapies on All-Cause…
September 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Robot-assisted Training for Arms Well-received by MS Patients A robot-assisted training program that uses game-like activities to improve upper limb function was met with high satisfaction and enjoyment by people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a small study has found. Most of the participants reported the intervention improved their ability to do day-to-day activities, such as using a…
September 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS GA Depot Reduces Relapse Rates in Phase 3 Clinical Trial Treatment with GA Depot, an experimental long-acting form of glatiramer acetate that requires less frequent dosing than approved formulations, significantly reduced relapse rates among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to top-line results from a Phase 3 clinical trial. “We are pleased with the topline…
September 20, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Thalamic Atrophy Moderates Ties Between Fitness, Cognition: Study In people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who show atrophy in a brain region called the thalamus, aerobic fitness is strongly correlated with standardized assessments of cognition and walking ability. However, these associations are not seen for MS patients who don’t have atrophy in the thalamus, according to a new…
September 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gut Bacteria Are Altered in MS, Linked to Disease Progression The composition of bacteria in the gut is altered in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared with healthy people in the same household, a new study reports. That bacterial composition is affected by disease-modifying therapies and seems to be associated with disease severity. These findings could aid in developing…
September 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NurOwn Found Safe, Shows Promise in Phase 2 Trial for Progressive MS NurOwn, a stem cell therapy being developed by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, showed a good safety profile among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in an open-label Phase 2 clinical trial, according to new data. The data show the experimental therapy also was associated with promising effects on…
September 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Supports Approved MS Dosage of Ponvory With No Adjustments The approved dosage of the multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Ponvory (ponesimod) ā 20 mg taken by mouth once daily ā is appropriate for all adults with relapsing forms of MS, a new analysis of data from the OPTIMUM Phase 3 trial found. That analysis showed there was no…
September 13, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS T-cells Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus at High Levels in MS Patients People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly more T-cells equipped with receptors that specifically recognize the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) than do healthy individuals, a study revealed. Notably, no such differences were detected for T-cells with receptors specifically against other viruses. These findings add to previous data highlightingĀ EBV infection…
September 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Soft Inner Layer Surrounding Brain May Be MS Target, Study Finds In multiple sclerosis (MS), disease-causing immune T-cells enter the brain and spinal cord through the protective soft membranes covering them, called the leptomeninges, a new study shows. The findings āsuggest that patients with MS could benefit from immunomodulatory therapies that target the leptomeninges,ā the researchers wrote, noting these surrounding…
September 9, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Tysabri Improves Cognition Over Long-term in Early RRMS Patients Long-term treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly improves cognitive function and increases the chance of disability reduction in people with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from the four-year observational STRIVE trial. Patients on Tysabri also reported improved quality of life and less impact of MS on…
September 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS High-efficacy DMTs Boost Mid-term Prognosis for Relapsing MS: Study People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) or Gilenya (fingolimod) are less likely to have disease activity than those on low-efficacy MS medications, according to a small study conducted in Japan. Results also showed that patients receiving the high-efficacy therapies had less brain shrinkage,…
September 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS More Microscopic Brain Damage Seen in SPMS Than in RRMS People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have more microscopic damage in normal-appearing brain tissue than do patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a new imaging study. These patients also have a greater number of chronic active lesions than those with RRMS. “Using advanced diffusion MRI…