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.

April 8, 2020April 8, 2020

Small Changes in Genes May Affect Myelin Production, Study Suggests

News

The small variants seen in the DNA code among individuals may affect the ability of oligodendrocytes to produce myelin, the protective coat surrounding neurons and whose destruction is a ... Read more

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020

Potential Competitor to Acthar Gel Asking to Re-enter US Market

News

ANI Pharmaceuticals is asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the right to reintroduce in the U.S. market its Cortrophin Gel (repository corticotropin injection, 80 U/ml) to ... Read more

March 25, 2020March 25, 2020

‘Talk’ Therapy Helps with Insomnia and Fatigue in MS, Trial Suggests

News

Cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of “talk” therapy, may help ease the severity of insomnia, fatigue, and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), improving the quality of their ... Read more

March 23, 2020March 23, 2020

Cognitive Impairment in Early MS Not Linked to Ethnicity, US Study Suggests

News

Ethnicity does not seem to have an influence on the degree of cognitive impairment seen in patients at the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a U.S.-based study suggests. ... Read more

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020

Gilenya Linked to Slightly Increased Cancer Risk in MS, Swedish Study Suggests

News

The risk of invasive cancer may be slightly higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with Gilenya (fingolimod) compared with those treated with rituximab, and with people from the general ... Read more

March 16, 2020March 16, 2020

Metabolite of Gut Bacteria, as Supplement, May Regulate Immune System

News

A short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria helps to counteract inflammatory responses in multiple sclerosis (MS) by promoting greater numbers of regulatory immune cells, a study reports. But ... Read more

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020

Myo Wearable Sensor Captures Subtle Movement Problems in MS

News

An multi-sensor band worn on the arm or leg, called Myo, can capture and relay difficulties with limb movement due to multiple sclerosis (MS) with an accuracy that mirrors ... Read more

March 4, 2020March 4, 2020

Natural Molecule NAC May Help Improve MS Brain Function, Study Reports

News

Treatment for two months with N-acetylcysteine, or NAC — a natural molecule that enhances the levels of antioxidants — significantly improved metabolic activity in certain brain regions among people ... Read more

March 2, 2020March 2, 2020

#ACTRIMS2020 – Acthar Gel Ably Treats MS Relapses, Topline Data Show

News

Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) leads to significant improvements after two months of use in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) still having acute relapses despite treatment, and who failed to ... Read more

February 28, 2020March 2, 2020

#ACTRIMS2020 – Depression in MS Linked to Worsening Neurological Function

News

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression are more likely to have worsening neurological function compared with those who do not have the mood disorder, results from a real-world study ... Read more

February 26, 2020February 26, 2020

Stopping Tysabri Early Tied to Active PPMS, Smoking and Depression in Patients, Study Finds

News

The likelihood of discontinuing treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) is higher among patients with progressive relapsing multiple sclerosis, and those who smoke and are depressed, a study reported. Progressive relapsing ... Read more

February 25, 2020April 1, 2020

Novartis’ Ofatumumab for Relapsing MS Up for Possible Approval by FDA and EMA

News

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will review Novartis‘ applications seeking regulatory approval of ofatumumab, an investigational B-cell therapy for the treatment ... Read more

February 12, 2020February 12, 2020

Rituximab Appears Safe for Women to Use While Breastfeeding, Small Study Finds

News

Rituximab is barely detected in breast milk of women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who took the therapy while breastfeeding their child, small study shows. Results suggest that women with ... Read more

February 6, 2020February 6, 2020

Interleukin-17A Plays Key Role in Inflammation in MS, Mouse Study Finds

News

The immune signaling molecule interleukin-17A (IL-17A) promotes the recruiting of inflammatory cells to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) in a multiple sclerosis (MS) mouse model, a ... Read more

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplant Safe and Helps Delay MS Progression, Analysis Shows

News

Transplanting patients’ own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a safe therapeutic approach and can delay disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a meta-analysis review shows. The study also ... Read more

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020

Cerebrospinal Fluid of MS Patients More Diverse and Filled with Pro-Inflammatory Cells, Study Shows

News

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a more diverse set of immune cells in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that bathes the central nervous system, but no such ... Read more

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, 2019March 6, 2020

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