Patricia Silva, PhD, director of science content —

During the 30th Congress of the European Committee for Research and Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) taking place in Boston between September 10th and 13th, Genzyme, a Sanofi company, will present its multiple sclerosis (MS) pipeline with a new group of trial treatments for early development of MS.

Biogen Idec, one of the first true biotech companies specializing in products indicated for neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions, and autoimmune disorders, is preparing to present over 90 poster presentations during this week’s 6th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting. The event is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, September 10th through Saturday the…

Those attending this week’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS convention set to take place on the 10th of September until the 13th in Boston, can expect Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to present promising findings on Gilenya (fingolimod) — the company’s leading oral formulation for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previously completed studies and…

A new study, entitled, “Intestinal barrier dysfunction develops at the onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and can be induced by adoptive transfer of auto-reactive T cells” conducted at University of Lund, Sweden, published on PlosOne by the research group of Dr. Shahram Lavasani in collaboration with…

A dynamic research team composed of doctors and scientists recently completed and published a study that sought to gain a better understanding of walking impairment, as it is manifested in patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease wherein the impulse-conducting myelin sheath is attacked by the…

Researchers from the University of Bristol have found a way of convert the function of cells into protecting the body instead of destroying healthy tissue, in what could be an important breakthrough for the treatment of debilitating autoimmune diseases in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body, like…

Novartis has announced that it will present new analyses and redefined treatment goals for multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 2014 Joint Americas and European Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Meeting (ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS), which is taking place in Boston, between September 10 and 13. Novartis claims to have…

In-vitro laboratory experiments using stem cells have long-since been the subject of debate between scientists and naturalists, but when it comes to developing effective methods to grow human cells and tissue for use in a potentially life-saving procedure or restoration of bodily function, researchers are increasingly more…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for filing of a Glatiramer Acetate Injection for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Yoga improves the quality of life of patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis, as recently concluded during a study of its benefits in increasing mental health, concentration, bladder control, walking, balance, motor coordination and vision, as well as in decreasing pain and fatigue. Researchers from Rutgers’ School of Health Related Professions…

As researchers continue to develop a clearer understanding of the underlying causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is becoming increasingly apparent that the future of treating the disease is likely to center on neural protection and a reversal of the demyelination process that strips away the critical insulation…

A diet high in salt can worsen multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, as well as increase the risks of neurological deterioration, according to an observational study led by Mauricio Farez, from the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina and recently published at the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, entitled, “Sodium intake is associated with…

For many people such as attorney Richard Nenno from Delaware, joining a fundraising sport event stems from a highly personal mission. Despite being blind, Nenno plans to join next month’s Bike to the Bay event for multiple sclerosis (MS), and he will be doing it in memory of his…

The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) is considering a funding proposal that includes five treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), namely two key MS drugs,  Biogen‘s Tysabri and Novartis‘ Gilenya, that are not currently funded. PHARMAC is the New Zealand Crown agency that decides, on behalf of District…

New Zealand and  Australian-based biotechnology company Innate Immunotherapeutics recently announced that it has begun to recruit patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) for its phase 2B trial of its experimental therapy MIS416. The study, which will be administered by the Western Australian…

Just yesterday, the President of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS), Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, publicly announced the details of this year’s MSBoston2014 conference, in collaboration with the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). According to Dhib-Jalbut — who is also the…

Regulus Therapeutics, Inc., a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research and development of experimental drugs that target microRNAs, recently announced that it has signed a contract to work together with Biogen Idec. Under Regulus’ microMarkers™ project, the two companies will be collaborating on research efforts to…

A new stem cell transplant therapy may offer patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) an alternative treatment option. According to a recent report on KCBD by Kasie Davis, researchers are pointing to the success of an MS patient named Dan Tiel, who had been reduced to living in a wheelchair due to…

The common symptom of fatigue experienced by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients may be caused by regional damage in the brain, according to research conducted at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Italy and published in the journal Radiology. Scientists analyzed atrophies and lesions in the white matter and grey matter of 65…

Australian authorities are alerting Multiple Sclerosis patients to the risk of unproven stem cell treatments that are being performed both in the country and overseas, after the recent death of a woman in Russia undergoing a controversial treatment for the disease. The continued marketing campaigns to…

In spite of an eight week delay, New Zealand-based Innate Immunotherapeutics is still planning to enroll patients for its phase 2b clinical trial that will study the experimental drug MIS416 for secondary progressive MS. The clinical research organization (CRO) involved in the management of the trial informed the company about the…

The European Commission granted marketing authorization for the use of Plegridy, a drug developed by Biogen Idec as a treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval comes at a time when…

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are no substitutes for the regular treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), however, they are becoming more common among patients as a way of alleviating the symptoms of the disease. Massage therapy is an example of that. 36-year-old Jessica Rich is a patient who embraced…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently notified Concert Pharmaceuticals that the company had fulfilled all necessary preclinical toxicological tests for the oral therapy CTP-354 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and spasticity. The authorization to administer repeated doses of the compound, in excess of 6 mg per day,…

A Ph.D. student at the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, Kun Yue, is developing a model of selected brain circuits to study multiple sclerosis (MS) in an effort to develop a nanotechnology based treatment for the disease. Yue believes that new technology can lead…

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) gave a positive final appraisal determination to the use of the Biogen Idec‘s drug Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) in adults for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), having turned back on their preliminary negative recommendation. The oral…

Eight new drugs that are able to stimulate the nervous system were discovered by a research team at UC San Francisco recently. The team utilized a novel screening platform and examined the cellular effects of 1,000 chemical compounds. The scientists believe the discovery may impact the treatment of the tissue…

Startup biotech company ImStem Biotechnology is looking to raise additional funding for their upcoming clinical trials after publishing promising research on a unique stem-cell treatment used on mice with multiple sclerosis.  The company has already received previous funding…

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)  announced the approval of the drug Lemtrada, produced by Genzyme, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and active disease defined by clinical or imaging features, within the national health system (NHS) in Scotland. Lemtrada…

The American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) recently aired a documentary about a University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) music professor, who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), on OETA. “Healed: Music, Medicine and Life with MS,” tells the story of Jim Klages‘s struggle against the disease. Klages was an accomplished musician and…