Patricia Silva, PhD, director of science content —

PatrĆ­cia holds a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal. Her work in academia was mainly focused on molecular biology and the genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites. PatrĆ­cia earned several travel awards to present her work at international scientific meetings. She is a published author of several peer-reviewed science articles.

Articles by Patricia Silva

Ozanimod Reduces Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Rate, Phase 3 Trial Shows

A Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of ozanimod (RPC-1063) in patients withĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS)Ā shows treatment reduced the disease’s annualized relapse rate (ARR), researchers reported. The Phase 3 SUNBEAM trial (NCT02294058)Ā testedĀ ozanimod, anĀ oral, selective sphingosine 1-phosphate 1 (S1PR1) and 5 (S1PR5) receptor modulator designed to…

Fitness Trainer and MS Patient, Dolly Stokes, Launch BFitLifestyles Website with Husband

Dolly Stokes, a fitness trainer andĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā patient,Ā and her husband, Jeff Stokes, have launched the website for their fitness and wellness company,Ā BFitLifestyles, providing information on how to live an active and healthy life. The Stokes, owners of three fitness-related companies in Fairhope, Alabama ā€“ DollyBFitness, BFitLifestyles, and Stokes…

BpiFrance Awards PathMaker Grant to Develop MyoRegulator, Device to Treat Spasticity

The French economic promotionĀ agencyĀ BpifranceĀ has awarded Boston-basedĀ PathMaker NeurosystemsĀ a grant to finance theĀ development of itsĀ MyoRegulator, a noninvasiveĀ neurotherapy technology to treatĀ conditions linked toĀ neural pathway disruption, includingĀ neuromotor spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Through the Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir (PIA-1), an investment program offered by Bpifrance, the Ā grant ā€” whose…

AARDA Launches Registry to Help Link MS Patients, Researchers

The world’s first registry for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā and other autoimmune diseases (ADs) has gone online, to honorĀ National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month in March. The Autoimmune Research Network (ARNet) is a creation of the Michigan-based American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA),Ā which isĀ collaborating with the National Coalition of…

Tongue Stimulation Could Give MS Patients Better Rehabilitation Outcomes, Study Suggests

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given gentleĀ electrical stimulation to their tongues during physical and cognitive rehabilitation training benefited more than those who did not have the stimulation,Ā a small pilot study demonstrated. Those who received the weak stimulation had significant improvements in balance and better scores than controls in cognition and other…

LiveWiseMS: A New Online Resource for People Living with MS

AĀ new online resource, LiveWiseMS.org, aims toĀ raise awareness about multiple sclerosis (MS) and provide patients and caregivers information about the disease’sĀ symptoms and conditions.Ā The platform, developed by the International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses (IOMSN), hopes toĀ promote healthy living and improve quality of life for MS patients and their families.

Regular Massage Therapy Eases Pain and Fatigue of MS, Small Study Reports

Regular massage therapy given peopleĀ withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā significantly reduced their pain and fatigue, and helped to ease spasticity, a small pilot studyĀ reports. The results further support previousĀ findingsĀ as to the benefits of massage in treatingĀ MS symptoms and improving patients’ quality of life. The study, ā€œImpact of Massage Therapy on Fatigue,…

95% of MS Patients Open to Marijuana Treatment, 73% Have Tried It

Ninety-five percent ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā patients believe medical marijuana should be a treatment option, according to aĀ GeneFoĀ online survey. The survey also showed that almost 73 percent had tried it, even though about half said they hadn’t received information from a doctor about its benefits and risks. A National…

Clinical Trial Supports Stem Cell Transplants to Treat RMS Patients with High Disease Activity

A newly concluded clinical trialĀ gives scientificĀ evidence of the benefits that a stem cell transplantĀ holds forĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who fail to respond toĀ medicationsĀ ā€” withĀ researchers calling the procedureĀ a reasonable option for thoseĀ with high disease activity. Five years after the treatment ā€” high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed byĀ autologous hematopoietic cell transplant ā€” furtherĀ disease…

New tDCS Devices May Boost Cognition in MS ā€” But Don’t Use One at Home Without Guidance

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who received transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) while playing brain-training video games improved their learning and understanding skillsĀ to a greater extent than those who only brain-trained. Researchers atĀ NYU Langone’s Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center underscored that while more research is needed to explore the procedure’s…

Patient Opinions on Zinbryta Seen to Match Phase 3 Trial Data, Supporting Questionnaire Use

More relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated withĀ Zinbryta (daclizumab)Ā said they feltĀ itsĀ health benefitsĀ than did thoseĀ givenĀ Avonex (interferon beta-1a) ā€” demonstrating that patient-reported outcomes do mirror objective measures of improved health in a clinical trial ofĀ the two drugs. Patient-reported changesĀ in both physical and psychological health contribute to a more comprehensive picture of…

PathMaker, French Institute to Team on MyoRegulator Neuro-stimulation Clinical Trials

PathMaker Neurosystems and the Brain and Spine InstituteĀ (ICM) in Paris will collaborate on human clinical trials to secure CE Mark clearance for PathMakerā€™s MyoRegulatorĀ PM-2200, a noninvasiveĀ neurotherapy technology to treatĀ conditions linked toĀ neural pathway disruption, including multiple sclerosis (MS). CE Mark ā€”Ā whichĀ stands for “ConformitĆ© EuropĆ©enne,” or European Conformity…

Astrocytes Can Turn Aggressive and Kill Neurons, Potentially Groundbreaking Study Says

In what may be one of the most significant discoveries in neurodegenerative disease, researchersĀ have found that brain cells, called astrocytes, contribute to killing neurons and myelin-forming oligodendrocyte cells, which may drive neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Experiments indicate an aggressive astrocyte type kills cells by secreting a yet-unidentified…

Reports on MS Treatment Market Show Growing Shift to Oral Therapies

The multiple sclerosis (MS) market shiftedĀ during 2016, with oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) capturing a greater share and Sanofi-Genzyme’s Aubagio (teriflunomide) being poised for growth, according to a press releaseĀ fromĀ Spherix Global Insights. The conclusions were included in the company’sĀ ā€œRealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis,ā€ a quarterly report based…