June 27, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Review: Ocrevus best of 4 antibody therapies for progressive MS Among four antibody-based therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) works best to prevent disability progression and other measures of disease activity in people with PPMS, or primary progressive MS, a review study found. However, the medication is associated with an increased risk of infection, data suggested.
June 21, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD GlobeStar, AIP team up to design clinical trials for Project Amethyst GlobeStar Therapeutics (GSTC) is teaming up with Advanced Innovative Partners (AIP) to design and implement clinical trials of Project Amethyst, an investigational therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) that aims to reduce neurodegeneration — when nerve cells in the body lose function and ultimately die. The new memorandum of understanding (MOU)…
June 20, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD T-cell changes reflect pregnancy’s protective effects in MS Changes in the gene activity within immune T-cells explain why women with multiple sclerosis (MS) improve during pregnancy, a study reports. Gene activity changes during and after pregnancy were highly similar between MS patients and healthy women. Many of the genes whose activity was altered during pregnancy were associated…
June 20, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Fatty acid-derived molecules tied to inflammation, disability in study Altered blood levels of certain fat molecules implicated in inflammatory responses seem to correlate with disability status and markers of nerve damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in those with progressive forms of the disorder, a study reported. Findings highlight the potential role of these fat, or…
June 16, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD MRI method detects myelin repair with over-the-counter antihistamine The over-the-counter antihistamine clemastine has demonstrated an ability to repair myelin, the protective coating on nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of MRI data from the ReBUILD clinical trial. The changes in myelin were examined with a noninvasive MRI method that more…
June 14, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Blood-clotting protein triggers brain inflammation in MS: Study A blood-clotting protein called fibrin can activate immune cells in the brain and contribute to inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study revealed. Because blood vessels become leaky in neurodegenerative conditions like MS, the blood can cross into the brain, which is known to activate multiple pro-inflammatory…
May 31, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Myelin defects seen before lesions, inflammatory activity in MS: Study A detailed examination of nerve tissue isolated from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed changes to the myelin sheath before the appearance of substantial inflammatory activity and lesions, a study reported. In MS patients, normal-appearing brain regions showed a less compact, detached, and disorganized myelin composition that may make…
May 22, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Periods of oxygen deprivation improve symptoms of MS in mice A non-invasive treatment called acute intermittent hypoxia, or AIH, involving periods of oxygen deprivation, was found to ease signs and symptoms of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. Given during the peak of disease activity, AIH treatment — basically, periods of reduced oxygen exposure…
May 12, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD MS diagnosis rate constant for 20 years, large UK study shows The rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnoses have remained relatively constant for almost 20 years in the U.K., according to a population-based study involving more than 22 million people. Most MS diagnoses occurred during middle age, with women being more likely than men to receive a…
May 11, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Nanocapsules with retinoic acid may treat MS inflammation: Study Modified nanocapsules containing retinoic acid can suppress inflammation and prompt the growth of cells that produce nerve fibers’ myelin coating, which is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS), a cell-based study shows. The results demonstrated how lipid (fat) nanocapsules that contain medicines can access the brain and treat the two…
May 11, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Researchers uncover key biological pathway for MS Interleukin-3 (IL-3), an inflammatory signaling protein, seems to coordinate the recruitment of immune cells from the blood into the brain, leading to worsening inflammation and symptoms related to multiple sclerosis (MS), a study revealed. Targeting IL-3-mediated communication may be an effective therapeutic strategy for MS and other brain disorders,…
May 10, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Omega-3 fatty acid transporter vital for myelin sheath production: Study A protein called Mfsd2a, which transports molecules that contain omega-3 fatty acids, is essential for regulating cells that make the fatty coating on nerve fibers, or myelin sheath, that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. In mice lacking Mfsd2a, the cells that make myelin, or oligodendrocytes, fail…
April 12, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Training of pelvic floor muscles in MS found to help urinary symptoms Training of the pelvic muscles, provided alongside lifestyle advice via telerehabilitation — tailored exercise instruction delivered via an online video call — significantly reduced urinary symptoms in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), a controlled study showed. The use of pelvic floor muscle training or PFMT, which are exercises…
April 11, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Mavenclad benefits for MS sustained up to 15 years after last treatment The benefits of Mavenclad (cladribine) were sustained for up to 15 years after its last treatment course in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from the CLASSIC-MS study. More than half of those who received the oral therapy in the clinical trials that supported…
April 6, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Octopus mega-trial opens to progressive MS patients in the UK The world’s first mega-trial is recruiting people in the U.K. with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) to investigate the effectiveness of several approved therapies — at the same time. Named Octopus for its various arms, the study, which is expected to enroll at least 1,200 participants over…
March 23, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Itaconate, a common metabolite, shows promise in MS mouse model Itaconate, a metabolite produced during cellular energy production activities, was found to restore the balance of immune T cells and reduce multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in a mouse model of the disease, a study reported. The common metabolite specifically suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory T cells while promoting the…
March 17, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Vitamin D receptor defines 2 distinct lines of immune cells: Early study The body has two distinct lineages of immune cells that can be distinguished by the presence or absence of the vitamin D receptor, a preclinical study reports. The findings shed more light on how vitamin D fine-tunes immune responses and may help researchers better understand the link between vitamin…
March 17, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Energy metabolite has potential to treat MS, autoimmune conditions Supplementation with phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), a molecule produced during cellular energy generation, eased the signs and symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease, a study revealed. The metabolite inhibited a protein called JunB, which blocked the production of the pro-inflammatory molecule interleukin-17 (IL-17) and suppressed…
February 6, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Mayzent, vitamin D combo alleviates MS signs in mouse study Using Mayzent (siponimod) and vitamin D3 as a combination therapy was found to improve motor function and promote remyelination — restoring the damaged myelin sheath around nerve fibers — in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). “Our results demonstrate for the first time the potential synergistic effects…
February 1, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD MS Cognitive Problems Can Ease With Rehab, Mindfulness Training Two alternative treatments for the cognitive challenges people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can face in daily life — cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) — were found to helpful in a clinical trial. Patients randomized to either treatment approach in the REMIND-MS study had fewer…
January 27, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Fractalkine Found to Promote Remyelination in MS Mouse Model The signaling protein fractalkine was found to promote the repair of myelin — the protecting coating around nerve fibers — that is damaged by the mistaken immune attack that leads to multiple sclerosis (MS), a mouse study demonstrated. In an animal model of the disease, the molecule…
January 26, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Insufficient and Poor Sleep in Teen Years Increases Risk of MS: Study Teenagers with poor sleep quality or insufficient sleep — those who sleep less than seven hours a night — are 40% to 50% more likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life than those who get adequate rest, according to a Swedish population-based study. Differences in sleep timing…
January 17, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Early Progression Independent of Relapses Linked to Worse Disability Within the first 12 years after the onset of symptoms, about one-fourth of people with clinically isolated syndrome — or a first episode of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms — showed a worsening of disability independent of relapses, a study reports. This type of disease progression, called progression independent…
January 16, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Use of Virtual Reality Physiotherapy in MS Found to Boost Adherence Uses of virtual reality-based physiotherapy to improve balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are linked to lower dropout rates than those found with conventional rehabilitation methods, a review of clinical trials suggested. Although the difference between the two physiotherapy approaches was not statistically significant, adherence to…
January 3, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Alcohol Consumption Is No Protection From MS: UK Study The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) doesn’t seem to be influenced by consuming alcohol, according to a large-scale analysis in the U.K. After adjusting for known MS risk factors, including smoking, childhood obesity, socioeconomic status, or genetics, the findings remained the same. The analysis was published in Nature…
December 23, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Stem Cell Transplant More Effective for SPMS Than Medications: Study A stem cell transplant more effectively slowed disability worsening in people with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) than anti-inflammatory treatments and disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study has found. More transplant recipients also experienced clinical improvements that were sustained after three and five years. After 10 years,…
December 21, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Myelin Provides Metabolic Support to Inhibitory Brain Cells: Study Myelin, the fatty-rich material surrounding nerve fibers that’s progressively damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), provides metabolic support to a type of nerve cell in the brain that controls the activity of other nerve cells, a study discovered. Researchers showed mitochondria, the cell’s energy producers, are specifically clustered in…
December 19, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Lcn-2 Protein Marks Intestinal Inflammation in MS, Study Shows People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have elevated levels of the lipocalin 2 (Lcn-2) protein in their stool samples, a marker for intestinal inflammation, compared with healthy controls, a study demonstrated. Among patients, findings also demonstrated those with high fecal Lcn-2 had changes in their gut microbiome, the collection…
October 11, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD RRMS Transition to SPMS Fell With Start of DMTs, Swedish Study Finds The risk of transitioning from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) declined significantly after the introduction of disease-modifying therapies (DMT), according to a large nationwide Swedish study. Data showed that SPMS conversion risk rose by 3% each year before the first generation of…
July 13, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD For MS Patients in Japan, Kesimpta May Be Best at Preventing Relapses Kesimpta (ofatumumab) may be more effective at reducing relapse rates than other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in Japanese adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of clinical trial data. Although the differences were not statistically significant, the study provided comparative evidence that may help…