Posts by: Patricia Inacio PhD

Patricia Inacio PhD

Patricia holds her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from University Nova de Lisboa, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European Agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Laboratory of Doctor David A. Fidock, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York.

January 24, 2020January 24, 2020

Mayzent Helps Regulate the Immune System in SPMS, Study Shows

News

Mayzent (siponimod), an approved oral therapy for active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), promotes a more regulatory immune system, which may explain its added benefits for SPMS, new clinical data show. ... Read more

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020

New Mechanism Boosting Myelin Regeneration May Ease MS Symptoms, Mouse Study Shows

News

Blocking a protein called PAR1 may enhance the regeneration of myelin, the protective fatty layer that covers nerve fibers and is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a mouse study shows. ... Read more

January 9, 2020January 9, 2020

Weight Loss Diets Rare Among Obese MS Patients Despite Link to Disease Progression, Study Suggests

News

Despite the fact that being obese or overweight may worsen multiple sclerosis (MS) prognosis, people with the neurodegenerative disease are not more likely to adopt weight loss diets, a small ... Read more

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020

Impaired Prospective Memory Affects MS Patients’ Ability to Perform Everyday Tasks, Study Finds

News

Prospective memory — the ability to remember to carry out a future task — is significantly impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and may contribute to worse cognitive performance ... Read more

January 6, 2020January 6, 2020

Brain Regeneration Impaired in Progressive MS, Unaffected By DMTs, Study Reports

News

Regeneration in the brain is reduced in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but enhanced during disease activity in those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a study reports. The ... Read more

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019

MS Patients Largely Favor Blood Stem Cell Transplants But Lack Understanding, Survey Finds

News

Many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients consider autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) potentially effective in treating their disease, but most report needing more — and more reliable — information to ... Read more

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019

Gene Silencing in Paternal X Chromosome May Explain Higher Rate of MS in Women, Mouse Study Suggests

News

A cluster of immune-related genes located in the X chromosome are more active in the X chromosome inherited from the mother than in the one from the father, a ... Read more

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019

Pediatric MS Affects More Girls Than Boys in US, Analysis of KID Data Shows

News

Records from the Kid’s Inpatient Database (KID) — the largest database of pediatric patients admitted to hospitals in the U.S. — show that more than twice as many girls as boys ... Read more

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019

GI Symptoms with Vumerity Fewer and Milder Than Tecfidera, Phase 3 Trial Shows

News

Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) carries fewer and less severe gastrointestinal side effects compared to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), new data from a Phase 3 trial directly comparing the GI tolerability of these two relapsing-remitting ... Read more

November 22, 2019November 22, 2019

Black and Hispanic RRMS Patients Show High Levels of Immune Cells Linked to Antibodies, US Study Reports

News

African-Americans and Hispanics with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have higher blood levels of plasmablasts, a type of inflammatory immune cell that produces antibodies, than do Caucasians with this disease, a study ... Read more

November 18, 2019November 18, 2019

Novel MRI Marker Better at Predicting MS Progression, Study Reports

News

A large retrospective study suggests that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker — called “brain atrophied T2 lesion volume” — could help predict the timing of multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. ... Read more

November 8, 2019November 12, 2019

2 Potassium Channels Key to Fast Transmission of Impulses Along Myelin-rich Nerve Fibers, Study Shows

News

Two potassium ion channels located at gaps between segments of myelin are required for high frequency and high-speed conduction of electrical impulses along myelin-rich nerves, a study shows. Loss of ... Read more

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019

Generic Version of Gilenya, pms-Fingolimod, Now Available for RRMS Patients in Canada

News

Pharmascience recently launched pms-Fingolimod, a generic version of Novartis’ Gilenya (fingolimod), to treat adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in Canada. The new generic is now available in that country, and has demonstrated efficacy ... Read more

October 30, 2019November 1, 2019

Vumerity Approved in US as Treatment for RRMS and Active SPMS

News, SPMS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationhas approved Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS , and active secondary progressive ... Read more

October 21, 2019October 21, 2019

National MS Society Awards $14.6M Supporting 43 New Research Projects

News

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) awarded $14.6 million in grants supporting 43 new and multiyear research projects into multiple sclerosis (MS), part of a projected $36 million investment in disease research for 2019, the ... Read more

October 17, 2019October 17, 2019

Rituximab Linked to Greater Risk of Infections in MS Patients in Real-world Swedish Study

News

Newer disease-modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) are effective but also known to carry a greater risk of infections in a patient group already more likely to be troubled ... Read more

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019

Targeting Toxic T Helper Cells – Those with CXCR6 Receptor – Seen to Prevent MS in Mouse Model

News

Targeting the chemokine receptor CXCR6, a protein at the surface of a certain group of T helper cells, prevented the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of ... Read more

October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

Profiling Inflammatory Markers in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Importance in Active MS, Case Study Finds

News

Careful profiling of inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of multiple sclerosis patients, coupled with standard exams and scans, helps in understanding disease evolution and treatment response, a case ... Read more

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Data Shows Ublituximab’s Long-term Safety in Relapsing MS, TG Therapeutics Announced

News, SPMS

Ublituximab continues to be safe and well-tolerated by people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) after a median follow-up of 124.7 weeks — more than 2 years — ... Read more

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Acthar Gel Seen as Cost-effective Late-line Treatment Option for MS Relapses

News

Late-line use of H.P. Acthar Gel to treat relapses in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) is linked with lower costs than other therapies used after an initial poor response, including plasmapheresis ... Read more

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Relapses Tied to Greater Medical and Personal Costs in Real-world Data

News

Relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with greater medical and non-medical costs, according to real-world data from two German observational studies. These findings support early treatment ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Nerve Cell Damage May Be Evident Years Before Symptoms Are

News

Damage to nerve cells appears to occur years before people with multiple sclerosis (MS) begin to show symptoms and is evident in a likely biomarker, new data suggest. Researchers ... Read more

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Anti-epileptic May Help to Stop Disability Progression, Study Suggests

News

Oxcarbazepine, an anti-epileptic medicine, given in combination with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) may help to stop disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, results of Phase 2 trial suggest. ... Read more

September 13, 2019September 25, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Younger MS Patients at Higher Risk for Cardiovascular Diseases, Large Swedish Study Finds

News

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases than the general population, according to a large Swedish nationwide study. This risk is higher for patients ... Read more

September 12, 2019September 12, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – 6 Years of Ocrevus Use Tied to Low Rates of Serious Infections

News, Ocrevus

Treatment for more than six years with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is linked to lower levels of blood antibodies among people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing MS, but rates of ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – 10-year Data Confirm Long-term Benefits of Biogen’s Tecfidera for RRMS

News

New 10-year data from the Phase 3 ENDORSE trial confirms the long-term benefits of Biogen’s Tecfidera for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of this disease. Real-world ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

#ECTRIMS2019 – Real-world Data Supports Serum Neurofilament Light as Potential MS Biomarker

News

Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in the blood — a proposed biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS) — is linked with worse neurologic function at levels above a certain threshold, ... Read more

August 29, 2019August 29, 2019

Therapy Costs Increase More Than Sevenfold for MS Patients on Medicare, 10-Year Study Reveals

News

The out-of-pocket costs for self-administered disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on Medicare increased more than sevenfold from 2006 to 2016, according to a new study. This ... Read more

August 28, 2019August 28, 2019

MS Fatigue Linked to 3 Different Patterns of Physical Activity, Study Finds

News

The relationship between fatigue and patterns of physical activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not straightforward. New findings show that, among MS patients with similar fatigue levels, ... Read more

August 20, 2019September 11, 2019

In Brains Damaged by MS or Age, Cells Can Be Tricked to Promote Remyelination, Study Suggests

News

Our brains — much like our joints — stiffen with age, causing brain stem cells called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) to lose their ability to proliferate and transform into ... Read more

August 7, 2019August 7, 2019

Autoimmune Complications Associated with Lemtrada Solved Using Anti-CD20 Therapies, Case Studies Suggest

News

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) may develop additional (secondary) autoimmune reactions. Anti-CD20 therapies, including rituximab or Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), are a potential treatment for Lemtrada-associated autoimmune complications in patients ... Read more

July 29, 2019August 2, 2019

Early Gilenya Treatment Lessens Disability Progression and Disease Activity in Young RRMS Patients, Study Shows

News

Early and continuous treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) in young  people — those ages 30 years or younger — with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) decreases the risk of disability progression, ... Read more

July 23, 2019July 23, 2019

Gilenya Approved in China for Adults and Children with Relapsing MS

News

Gilenya (fingolimod) has been approved in China as a disease-modifying therapy to treat adults and children, ages 10 and older, with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Gilenya, marketed by Novartis, ... Read more

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019

Phase 2 Trial Testing NurOwn Therapy for Progressive MS Adds Third Clinical Site

News

The Phase 2 clinical trial testing BrainStorm Cell Therapeutic’s investigational NurOwn therapy for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) has added a third clinical site, the company announced. The trial (NCT03799718) now will ... Read more

July 11, 2019August 7, 2019

Targeting Oct1 Protein in T-cells Might Prevent Autoimmune Reactions, MS Mouse Study Finds

News

Targeting a protein found in immune T-cells called Oct1 may help prevent the misguided immune response seen in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Most importantly, ... Read more

July 9, 2019August 7, 2019

New PET Scan Radiotracer May Help Identify Early Signs of MS Progression, Study Reports

News

A new radiotracer called PBR06, used in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, helps detect changes in the brain’s grey matter that are linked to progressive forms of multiple sclerosis ... Read more

July 3, 2019July 3, 2019

Rebif Cost-effective and Can Reduce Brain Lesions in RRMS Patients, Data Show

News

Merck KGaA presented new evidence supporting the safety and clinical efficacy of Rebif (interferon beta-1a) for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at the 5th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), ... Read more

June 28, 2019June 28, 2019

Less-frequent Dosing with Arbaclofen ER Tablets Decreases Spasticity As Well As Standard Baclofen, MS Trial Data Show

News

Arbaclofen extended-release (ER) tablets taken twice a day can effectively reduce spasticity (muscle stiffness) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with similar potency to that of standard and more-frequently-dosed baclofen (brand name ... Read more

June 19, 2019June 19, 2019

Lemtrada Lowers Levels of Nerve Damage Biomarker Better Than Rebif, Trial Data Show

News

Treatment with Sanofi Genzyme’s Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for up to two years lowers the levels of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), a proposed biomarker of nerve damage, in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients ... Read more

June 17, 2019June 17, 2019

Human Blood-brain Barrier in a Chip, Created in the Lab, May Help Design New Therapies, Study Shows

News

By tweaking stem cells in a laboratory, researchers were able to generate a model of the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) in a chip. The BBB is a highly selective ... Read more