May 15, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mindfulness Training Seen to Aid Cognitive, Emotional Well-being in Pilot Study Four weeks of mindfulness meditation helped to improve thinking skills and a sense of emotional balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to a greater extent than cognitive training given to a separate patient group, a pilot clinical trial reports. These results were detailed in two studies,“…
May 8, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD ZyVersa’s IC 100 Reduced Inflammation in MS Mouse Model, Study Finds IC 100, a monoclonal antibody by ZyVersa Therapeutics that prevents the assembly of inflammasomes — a pro-inflammatory cellular complex — lessened inflammation and halted disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study of mice shows.xa The study, “IC100: a novel anti-ASC monoclonal antibody improves functional outcomes…
May 8, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD ‘Transcient’ Damage to CNS Seen with Chemotherapy Used in Stem Cell Transplants for MS A high-dose chemotherapy combination given to wipe out the immune system before its rescue with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) can cause “transient” damage to neurons and supporting cells of the central nervous system in people with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a Canadian study reports. Nonetheless, its researchers believe…
April 30, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Nanosensor May Help to Diagnose MS at Early Stages A new tiny sensor is able to detect antibodies against myelin, the protective coating of nerve cell axons whose destruction is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially allowing for a diagnosis in early disease stages, researchers report. It also offers the possibility of distinguishing multiple sclerosis from neuromyelitis optica, a…
April 17, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Study of Stem Cell Therapy for Highly Active RRMS Honored by CR Forum The MIST Phase 2 clinical trial, supporting the potential of hematopoietic (blood cell-producing) stem cell transplant (HSCT) to significantly slow disability progression in highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, has received a Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research (CR) Forum. Five years after the transplant, most…
April 8, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Small Changes in Genes May Affect Myelin Production, Study Suggests 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 hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. These findings open the possibility of new therapeutic options that target the…
March 27, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Potential Competitor to Acthar Gel Asking to Re-enter US Market 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 treat acute exacerbations in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. Currently, the only repository corticotropin injection available in…
March 25, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD ‘Talk’ Therapy Helps with Insomnia and Fatigue in MS, Trial Suggests 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 sleep, data from a single-site trial suggest. The study “Feasibility and Treatment Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia…
March 23, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Impairment in Early MS Not Linked to Ethnicity, US Study Suggests 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. The study, “Race, ethnicity, and cognition in persons newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the…
March 18, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gilenya Linked to Slightly Increased Cancer Risk in MS, Swedish Study Suggests 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 population, a Swedish study suggests. The study, “Cancer Risk for Fingolimod, Natalizumab, and Rituximab…
March 16, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Metabolite of Gut Bacteria, as Supplement, May Regulate Immune System 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 the bacterial composition of the gut (its microbiome) of MS patients is deficient in bacteria that produce this acid —…
March 9, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Myo Wearable Sensor Captures Subtle Movement Problems in MS 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 gold standard measures of disability, like the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), a study reports. These findings support the…
March 4, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Natural Molecule NAC May Help Improve MS Brain Function, Study Reports 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 with multiple sclerosis (MS), a small clinical study reports. This increase in metabolic activity was accompanied by improvements…
March 2, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Acthar Gel Ably Treats MS Relapses, Topline Data Show 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 respond to other high-dose corticosteroids, topline data from an observational study show. The gel’s developer, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, also…
February 28, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Depression in MS Linked to Worsening Neurological Function 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 show. The findings were presented Feb. 27 by Jenny Feng, MD, in an oral presentation — titled “…
February 26, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Stopping Tysabri Early Tied to Active PPMS, Smoking and Depression in Patients, Study Finds 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 MS (PRMS) is now largely considered a subset of primary progressive MS, or PPMS marked by periods…
February 25, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novartis’ Ofatumumab for Relapsing MS Up for Possible Approval by FDA and EMA 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 of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults. Novartis’ applications for ofatumumab — which has the…
February 12, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Rituximab Appears Safe for Women to Use While Breastfeeding, Small Study Finds 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 RRMS can continue with a disease-modifying treatment while breastfeeding. The study “Minimal breast milk transfer of…
February 6, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Interleukin-17A Plays Key Role in Inflammation in MS, Mouse Study Finds 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 study found. The findings support the potential of therapies that target IL-17 in MS. IL-17A is part of the IL-17…
February 4, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplant Safe and Helps Delay MS Progression, Analysis Shows 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 showed that cells transplanted to the spinal cord (intrathecal injection) were associated with significantly slower disease progression rates, compared…
February 4, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cerebrospinal Fluid of MS Patients More Diverse and Filled with Pro-Inflammatory Cells, Study Shows 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 diversity is seen in their blood, a study reports. Instead, MS causes changes in the activation of immune cells in…
January 24, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mayzent Helps Regulate the Immune System in SPMS, Study Shows 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. The study “Siponimod enriches regulatory T and B lymphocytes in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis” was published in the…
January 14, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Mechanism Boosting Myelin Regeneration May Ease MS Symptoms, Mouse Study Shows 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. Therapeutic targeting of PAR1 may promote remyelination and delay MS progression, according to the study, “Blocking the Thrombin Receptor…
January 9, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Weight Loss Diets Rare Among Obese MS Patients Despite Link to Disease Progression, Study Suggests 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 study suggests. The study, “Obesity, dieting, and multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related…
January 7, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Impaired Prospective Memory Affects MS Patients’ Ability to Perform Everyday Tasks, Study Finds 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 for everyday tasks, according to recent research. The study “Time-Based Prospective Memory Is Associated with Functional Performance in Persons…
January 6, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Brain Regeneration Impaired in Progressive MS, Unaffected By DMTs, Study Reports 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 results also show that regeneration is unaffected by treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), as shown by the levels…
December 19, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Patients Largely Favor Blood Stem Cell Transplants But Lack Understanding, Survey Finds 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 make a reasoned decision regarding its benefits and risks, a survey found. Those who are dissatisfied with their current…
December 17, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gene Silencing in Paternal X Chromosome May Explain Higher Rate of MS in Women, Mouse Study Suggests 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 new mouse study shows. These findings may help explain why women have higher rates of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple…
December 12, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Pediatric MS Affects More Girls Than Boys in US, Analysis of KID Data Shows 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 were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016. The data shows that 259 boys and 610 girls younger than age 18…
November 26, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD GI Symptoms with Vumerity Fewer and Milder Than Tecfidera, Phase 3 Trial Shows 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 multiple sclerosis (RRMS) treatments show. These results were presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Charcot Foundation,…