Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

A new clinical trial launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is evaluating the impact of an extra dose of an approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccine in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases who did not properly respond to an original vaccine regimen. Approximately 600 people will…

Sonoma Biotherapeutics has raised $265 million in investment funding to support the development and production of novel immune T-cell therapies to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). “We are ushering in a new era of medicine, using immune cells as living therapies that…

Clene’s investigational oral therapy CNM-Au8 improved energy metabolism in the brain of adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to top-line results from the REPAIR-MS trial. This open-label Phase 2 pilot study (NCT03993171), taking place in Texas, is running in parallel with REPAIR-PD, another Phase 2…

High-dose biotin aided walking speed in people with progressive multiple sclerosis after 12 to 15 months as an add-on treatment, an analysis of placebo-controlled clinical trials shows. However, the therapy failed to improve other measures of disability, and was associated with inaccurate lab test results caused by high levels…

Accessing healthcare providers knowledgeable about multiple sclerosis (MS) and being able to afford additional services to improve overall health were the most pressing healthcare concerns among Canadians with the condition, a survey suggests. “These findings provide healthcare planners prioritized concerns and a profile of [people with MS] that have…

The low-fat Swank diet and the Wahls elimination diet reduced fatigue and improved quality of life after three months for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a clinical trial has found. “It’s encouraging that fatigue was reduced and quality of life improved in both groups,” Bruce Bebo, PhD, from…

Tysabri (natalizumab) given every six weeks was as safe and effective over nearly 1.5 years of use as its approved four-week dosing in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to top-line data from the Phase 3b NOVA study. Tysabri is typically administered every four weeks, or about…

Genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS) depends on an individual’s particular combination of multiple risk variants, a study reveals. The study, “Genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis: interactions between conserved extended haplotypes of the MHC and other susceptibility regions,” was published in the journal BMC Medical…

A component of yeast cell walls — called MGCP — prevented disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) by activating anti-inflammatory immune T-cells while suppressing inflammatory T-cells, a study showed. This work also supporting the microbiome’s role in affecting inflammation in autoimmune diseases like MS. “We have…

A potential anti-inflammatory treatment, xB3-IL-1RA was able to reach the central nervous system of a rodent model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and with repeat doses delay disease onset and ease clinical symptoms, according to the investigational therapy’s developer Bioasis Technologies. These findings support the utility of Bioasis’ xB3 peptide…

Nvidia announced the launch of the U.K.’s most powerful supercomputer — called Cambridge-1 — which uses a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and simulation to help scientists to better understand complex diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and to design new therapeutics. Cambridge-1 is the first supercomputer designed…

High-potency therapies are more effective at reducing the frequency of symptom relapses in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) than low-potency medications, a 10-year study showed. Notably, there was no difference in the effectiveness of either high- or low-potency medicines to limit the progression of disability. “When the…

Using high-efficacy therapies as a first treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients significantly increases the likelihood of having no evidence of disease activity after one and two years, compared to using moderately effective therapies, according to a real-world study of Norwegian patients. However, with each additional attempted treatment, the…

The enzyme TET1, which is progressively lost with age, is essential to activate genes needed to repair myelin — the sheath around nerve cells that is damaged in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — a study in mice has found. The…

John and Catherine Seibyl, both alumni of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Ohio, have pledged $7.5 million to the university to advance multidisciplinary research into multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The funds will be shared strategically between CWRU’s School of Medicine and the Frances Payne Bolton…

Gilenya (fingolimod) at its approved 0.5 mg daily dose continues to be the optimal dose for people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a systematic review of 11 clinical trials confirmed. A 0.25 mg/day dose, however, also showed improvement over placebo in MRI outcomes and patient satisfaction, the researchers noted, and further…

Urinary problems, such as an urgency to urinate or a feeling of incomplete urination, are common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), impacting more than half of patients, according to a large study in Italy. The researchers noted that urinary disorders…

Markedly low levels of a simple amino sugar called N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) were found in the bloodstream of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlated with greater disease severity and disability, a study reported.  These findings support GlcNAc as…

Lower antibody levels in the bloodstream and younger age are associated with a greater likelihood of infection in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) therapy, a study has found. “Our work adds to the body of literature detailing real-world outcomes in MS patients treated with [Ocrevus] and…

The digital therapeutics company MedRhythms is launching a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MR-004, an experimental product that uses rhythmic sounds to improve walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The randomized…

LIF, a protein with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, can be successfully delivered to immune cells in the brain using a nanoparticle formulation, and partially reverses induced paralysis in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a proof-of-concept study has found. These findings validate LIF-loaded nanoparticles as…

B-cell-depleting therapies given to adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) affect the production of antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, a study reported. This finding has “consequences” for immunity in this patient group, whether that immunity follows SARS-CoV-2 infection or…

The Autoimmune Registry (ARI) has opened a fundraiser, called “Cure the Mother’s Disease,” to support the development of a tool that might detect multiple sclerosis (MS) in early stages during an eye exam. This fundraiser, …

Certain fat molecules produced by gut microbes, which have protective immune-suppressing effects and may protect against multiple sclerosis (MS), are lower in women than in men, a case-control study has found. These findings may explain the greater MS susceptibility observed in women, the scientists…

A short film produced for Hispanic/Latinx people who live with multiple sclerosis (MS) improved patients’ understanding of the condition and the effectiveness of treatment, a study found.  “Health communication interventions, like film, have been shown to be effective tools in promoting positive attitudes…

Treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) significantly reduces the risk of relapse, decreases the proportion of patients experiencing a relapse, and has a better safety profile than Aubagio (teriflunomide) for people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an indirect comparison of clinical trial data.

Interim data from a Phase 2 trial of Immunic Therapeutics’ investigational oral therapy IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients has established a once-daily, 30 mg dose as the most appropriate for future Phase 3 trials. The…

The 2021 John Dystel Prize for multiple sclerosis (MS) research has been awarded to Vijay Kuchroo, PhD, a professor at Harvard Medical School, in Boston, for his work in uncovering the underlying immune mechanisms that drive the neurodegenerative disorder.  “Professor Kuchroo’s…

A 78-year-old man with multiple sclerosis (MS) developed the brain infection progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) after two years of treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a recent case report detailed. Treatment was discontinued and, as the patient’s symptoms worsened, he was moved to off-label…

A decline in the activity of the GPR17 gene is responsible for age-related brain deterioration caused by the loss of myelin, a fatty substance that surrounds nerve cells like a sheath, a mouse study discovered. Researchers identified a small molecule that rejuvenated…