Steve Bryson, PhD, science writer —

Outcomes are better for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) initially treated with higher efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) than for those who begin with lower efficacy DMTs and escalate to more effective treatments as the disease progresses, according to a real-world analysis of patient registry data. Findings also…

Aubagio (teriflunomide), an approved therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), works by shifting the balance between activated subsets of nerve-damaging immune cells to those with immunosuppressive traits, a new study reveals. Further studies to understand how changes in immune cell subsets drive Aubagio’s clinical effectiveness will…

Researchers identified a genetic variant that associated with faster multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and greater brain tissue damage, according to a study that combined data on more than 12,500 patients in North America, Europe and Australia. Unlike previously detected MS-related variants linked to the immune system, this variant sits…

The government of Canada soon will provide new income benefits designed to help Canadians living with a disability — including people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Applauded by MS Canada, a nonprofit that actively advocated for these benefits, the announcement follows the passing of the Canada Disability Benefit Act,…

Nearly 80% of adults with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) were free of relapses or confirmed disability worsening two years after receiving stem cell transplant, according to a real-world study in Denmark. Moreover, more than two-thirds (69%) of these RRMS patients achieved a clinical outcome called NEDA-3, or…

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.

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)…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…