September 12, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Real-World Analysis of AMPYRA Multiple Sclerosis Drug Presented by Acorda and HealthCore Acorda Therapeutics will present results of a study analyzing AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets in multiple sclerosis patients at the 2014 Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting in Boston, held through September 10-13. Unlike many other studies of therapeutic agents, this study looked at prescribing patterns, patient compliance, and budget impact…
September 11, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Working Memory and Cognitive Reserve Linked in MS Kessler Foundation Study Any intervention that could help multiple sclerosis patients preserve long-term memory would likely be well-received. As suggested by a recent study from the Kessler Foundation, “Working Memory Mediates the Relationship Between Intellectual Enrichment and Long-term Memory in Multiple Sclerosis: An Exploratory Analysis of Cognitive Reserve,” one…
September 8, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Comorbidities More Prevalent With Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis While multiple sclerosis is most typically associated with progressively declining physical ability, multiple sclerosis patients are often times affected by a number of physical and mental health comorbidities in addition to their worsening physical ability. This observation was highlighted by a group of researchers in Scotland led by Drs.
September 5, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Novel MS Therapy from GeNeuro Performed Well in Phase 2a Clinical Trial A novel therapeutic from GeNeuro to treat multiple sclerosis showed promising results in a one-year, open-label extension phase 2a clinical trial. GeNeuro tested its first-in-class GNbAC1 monoclonal antibody in ten multiple sclerosis patients, nine of whom have primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. “We are very excited by the…
August 29, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Multiple Sclerosis Cases Continue To Rise in Countries With Traditionally Small MS Populations Recent research continues to suggest that MS is on the rise is countries that in the past posted small diagnoses of the disease. The latest study reveals that Multiple Sclerosis affects more second-generation Kuwaiti migrants than previously thought, according to an article published in BME Neurology. The findings…
August 28, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Low Dose Naltrexone May Improve Multiple Sclerosis Patient Quality of Life Low dose naltrexone (LDN) may be on its way to becoming a new therapeutic agent for multiple sclerosis. Evidence for its efficacy in attenuating multiple sclerosis symptoms is scarce, but results of a phase 3 clinical trial, “A Randomized Placebo-Controlled, Crossover-Design Study of the Effects…
August 23, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Serum Proteins May Reveal Impending Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Onset According to new research published in European Journal of Neurology, susceptibility to multiple sclerosis may be predicted by looking at individuals’ protein profiles, otherwise known as proteomes. A team led by principal investigator Dr. S. Jacobson at the National Institutes of Health and Dr. M. T.
August 15, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms Aggravated By Genetic Alterations in Patients While the majority of scientists dedicated to multiple sclerosis research focus on genetic regulators of conditions such as autoimmunity, demyelination, inflammation, and neurodegeneration, a team from the University of Lubeck in Germany, led by Saleh M. Ibrahim, MD, PhD, focuses on genetic regulators of conduction velocity. The team is uncovering…
August 5, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Angiogenesis, VEGF Are Interesting Targets in Treating Multiple Sclerosis Findings of a number of scientific research articles, reviewed in a recent article from researchers at University of Bari and National Cancer Institute in Italy, describe a common response to injury in multiple sclerosis patients and animal models of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). The response, known as…
July 24, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Low Vitamin D is Linked to Severe Acute Optic Neuritis in Multiple Sclerosis For the approximately 15-20% of multiple sclerosis patients with acute optic neuritis (AON), lack of vitamin D may be partly responsible. A new study published in Neurology identified a link between vitamin D levels and AON severity. Individuals with higher vitamin D levels may experience less severe…
July 21, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Alkermes’ ALKS 8700 to Treat MS is Preparing for a Phase 1 Clinical Trial Alkermes plc is looking to add one more treatment to the repertoire for multiple sclerosis drugs by initiating a Phase 1 clinical trial study of ALKS 8700. This novel molecule, developed by Alkermes, will be evaluated for safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. “We expect the results of this study to…
July 14, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Tysabri Protects Against Relapse in Multiple Sclerosis, According To Study According to a study published in JAMA Neurology, multiple sclerosis patients are greatly benefited by Biogen Idec’s Tysabri (natalizumab) and tend to relapse if they discontinue treatment. Natalizumab had a protective effect on patients who were continuously treated with Tysabri beyond a 24-dose timepoint within the study,…
July 9, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Antihistamine Repurposed for Remyelination in Phase 2 Trial from UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the antihistamine clemastine fumarate, manufactured by Novartis as Tavist, for its efficacy in treating multiple sclerosis patients. The laboratory of Dr. Jonah Chan, a professor of neurology at UCSF, used a high-throughput method to identify Tavist…
July 3, 2014 News by Maureen Newman UB Team Finds a Way to Make Stem Cells into Myelinating Cells Stem therapy to treat multiple sclerosis may benefit greatly from a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by the laboratory of Fraser Sim, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr.
June 27, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis Linked to Regional Brain Damage Fatigue, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, could be a result of regional damage in the brain. A study published in Radiology by a group in Italy led by Massimo Filippi, MD, from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University showed that local, rather than global, atrophy is associated with fatigue.
June 25, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Long-Term Cognitive Impairment from Multiple Sclerosis Reaffirmed by Kessler Foundation Researchers at the Kessler Foundation bolstered the knowledge of cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis patients with an article published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. This longitudinal study is one of the longest among studies of cognition in multiple sclerosis. “While cognitive impairment is known to affect…
June 20, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Unique Stem Cell Therapy from StemGenex Studied in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Multiple sclerosis patients may soon benefit from StemGenex’s leading resource of adult adipose stem cells. StemGenex is now recruiting patients for a clinical trial investigating the regenerative potential of multiple sclerosis patients’ autologous stem cells derived from their own stromal vascular fraction. “Currently available drugs for multiple sclerosis…
June 19, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Remyelination Strategies for Multiple Sclerosis Presented at Biogen Idec-Sponsored NYAS Conference On June 26th, a conference devoted to the topic of “Demyelination and Remyelination: From Mechanism to Therapy” will be presented by the New York Academy of Sciences and Acorda Therapeutics. The topic hits home to millions of people worldwide suffering from demyelinating diseases, especially those affected by multiple sclerosis.
June 18, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Biogen Idec, AbbVie Show Superiority of Daclizumab High Yield Process in RRMS Biogen Idec, who recently presented over 60 company-sponsored presentations at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and the Sixth Cooperative Meeting with Americas Committee for Treatment and…
June 13, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Motor and Sensory Rehabilitation Training Benefits Multiple Sclerosis Patients’ Balance A study involving a clinical trial treating multiple sclerosis patients with sensory training was published in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation and reports optimistic results. Lead author Davide Cattaneo,…
June 9, 2014 News by Maureen Newman ImStem Uses Embryonic Stem Cells to Treat Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis ImStem Biotechnology, Inc. is one step closer to harnessing the power of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to treat multiple sclerosis. Most recently, ImStem announced the successful treatment of an animal model of multiple sclerosis (experimental autoimmune encephalitis, EAE) using mesenchymal stem cells derived from hESCs (hES-MSCs). Using hES-MSCs…
June 9, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency Is Not a Cause of Multiple Sclerosis Charles Moore, Science and Research Editor of Multiple Sclerosis News Today, recently reported two controversial, potential treatment options for multiple sclerosis. The first, “liberation therapy,” was conjured by Dr. Paolo Zamboni in…
June 5, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Biogen Idec Investigates Tysabri in Secondary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Patients Biogen Idec is currently sponsoring a clinical trial evaluating its therapy Tysabri (natalizumab) in patients with secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis. Although relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis is more common and well-researched, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates approximately half of relapse-remitting patients will transition to secondary-progressive within 19 years of diagnosis. The…
June 3, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Interferon Beta-1a Protects Relapse-Remitting MS Patients from Brain Volume Reduction Research from the State University of New York at Buffalo suggests a protective link between interferon beta-1a treatment and brain volume loss (atrophy) in patients with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis. Michael Dwyer, PhD, presented his study at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and…
May 27, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Acorda Therapeutics’ Online Multiple Sclerosis Resources To Be Demonstrated in Dallas At the 2014 Cooperative Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis on May 28-31 in Dallas, Acorda Therapeutics will be demonstrating its award-winning MS selfâ„¢ mobile app designed for patients with multiple sclerosis.
May 22, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Orphan Drug Designation Granted to Treatment for Rare Multiple Sclerosis Drug Complication The Food and Drug Administration granted Orphan Drug Designation to Inhibikase Therapeutics’, Inc. lead product, IkT-001Pro (imatinib), to treat progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, PML affects the white matter of the brain usually through a…
May 15, 2014 by Maureen Newman Multiple Sclerosis Disability Linked to Lipid Levels in Australian Study Patients with multiple sclerosis may benefit from improving blood fats, otherwise known as serum lipids, according to a new study from University of Tasmania in Australia published in Multiple Sclerosis Journal.
May 13, 2014 by Maureen Newman Brain Receptor More Common to Women May Explain Sex Disparity in Multiple Sclerosis For years, clinicians and patients could only notice and accept the fact that four times more women than men are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Now, a group of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are uncovering a potential reason for the disparity, and they recently…
May 9, 2014 by Maureen Newman Sun Pharma-Sponsored Phase 3 Trial to Treat Spasticity Due to Multiple Sclerosis in Recruiting Patients One of the most common and troublesome symptoms of multiple sclerosis is spasticity. Patients with spasticity experience involuntary muscle spasms and muscle stiffness, which interfere with daily activities. An imbalance in the signals from the brain and spinal cord in the central nervous system increase the excitability of muscles,…
May 5, 2014 by Maureen Newman Targeting B-cell Activity May Reduce MS Brain Lesions, According To GlaxoSmithKline-Backed Study New research work from GlaxoSmithKline presented by Daren Ausin, PhD, at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting has implications for individuals with relapsinig-remitting multiple sclerosis. The presentation detailed a study that used GlaxoSmithKline’s ofatumumab in 231 patients with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis. Ofatumumab is an anti-B-cell antibody, and it…