June 11, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Immune Cells Reprogrammed in Mice May Lead to Potential MS Treatment, Study Suggests After repeated exposure to a fragment of the myelin protein — the target of autoimmune attack in multiple sclerosis (MS) — immune cells in mice were reprogrammed to be tolerant to myelin, suppressing the immune response associated with the disease, a study revealed. Researchers showed that in these…
May 21, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Higher Risk of Vascular Disease Among MS Patients in the UK, Population-based Study Reveals People in the United Kingdom (U.K.) with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an increased risk of vascular disease affecting the heart and brain that is not accounted for by traditional disease risk factors, a large, population-based study reports. The study, “Evaluating the Risk of Macrovascular Events and…
May 6, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Immune Cell microRNAs Are Potential MS Biomarkers, Study Suggests Altered levels of molecules important for cell regulation — called microRNAs — have been found in specific immune cells isolated from the blood of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reveals. These immune cells, called monocytes, transform into macrophage cells,…
May 5, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD FDA Approves Bafiertam, Tecfidera Bioequivalent, for Relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given final approval to Banner Life Sciences’ Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate), a bioequivalent alternative to Biogen’s Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) to treat people with relapsing…
April 17, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Inflammation, Blood Fats Linked to Cardiovascular Disease in MS Scientists have identified a link between systemic inflammation and fat (lipid) metabolism that may underlie the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study with that finding, “Lipoprotein profiling in early…
April 15, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gray Matter Lesions Affect Cognition in Japanese MS Patients as Well, Study Says People in Japan with lesions in the cerebral cortex due to multiple sclerosis (MS) were found to have greater cognitive problems, or difficulties thinking, than those without lesions in this area of mostly gray matter that surrounds the brain, a study reports. Lesions confined to the…
February 25, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Age, Gender, Blood Glucose Affect Immune Cells’ Response to Tecfidera in RRMS Patients, Study Reports Immune cells from patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) respond differently to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) based on age, gender, and serum blood glucose levels, a study found. The results suggest these patient-specific factors can modulate the response of immune cells, and should be…
February 12, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gilenya Works to Treat RRMS by Specifically Targeting B-cells and T-helper Cells, Study Finds Treating people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) for one year with the immune-modulating therapy Gilenya (fingolimod) reduced the numbers of antibody-producing B-cells and of T helper cells, a study finds. While the…
February 10, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Ethnic Differences in MS Evident in Antibody-secreting Cells in Blood, US Study Suggests People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who self-identify black African or Latin American have a higher number of disease-associated antibody-secreting cells in their blood compared to those who identify as Caucasian, a U.S. study reports. This difference may account for disparities related to ethnicity in MS…
January 15, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Specific Changes in Vitamin D Receptor Protein Linked to MS Risk, Study Suggests A risk of multiple sclerosis rises in people with specific variations in a protein, called the vitamin D receptor, that affects how this vitamin works and is metabolized in the body, a study drawn from a meta-analysis reports. Its researchers suggest these variations, or changes…
November 25, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gut Microbiome Changes Evident in Newly Diagnosed MS Patients, Study Says A DNA analysis to identify changes in the gut microbiome in people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — who have yet to begin using disease-modifying therapies — showed that all, regardless of ethnic background, have an abundance of the bacteria group Clostridia compared to people…
November 19, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Blocking Molecule Prevents B-cells from Entering Brain and Promoting MS Progression, Study Reports Stopping the migration of immune B-cells through the blood-brain barrier by blocking ALCAM, a molecule linked to the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), lessened disease severity in an MS mouse model, a new study shows. Details of the discovery were reported…
October 29, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD UV-B Light Prevents MS Symptoms in Mice Independently of Vitamin D, Study Finds Exposure to UV-B light prevented multiple sclerosis (MS)-like symptoms in a mouse model regardless of the presence of vitamin D or the vitamin D receptor, a new study discovered. The study, “UV light suppression of EAE (a mouse…
October 28, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Altered Fear Response, Changes in Brain Chemistry Seen in Mice with Poor Gut Microbiota Depleting microbes in the gut of mice led to an altered fear response, changes in gene expression in brain immune cells and changes in brain chemistry — returning to a more normal state after their gut microbes were restored, but only if done early in life, a study…
September 10, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD SPMS Triggers and Treatments Among Focus of Expert Panel in Video Series by AJMC Multiple sclerosis (MS) experts discuss disease causes and current treatment options in a new video series released by the multimedia and peer-reviewed science journal, The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC). The free and online video series is part…
September 4, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD MS Relationships Improved by Togetherness and Communication, Study Suggests Relationships between multiple sclerosis patients and their intimate partners were enhanced when the couple worked together to make lifestyle changes, and to develop skills to improve communication, a study shows.Â
August 2, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Rewind Therapeutics Receives Research Grant to Develop New Remyelination Medicines for MS The development of new medicines to treat myelin-related neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), has been given a boost by a €2.9 million (about $3.2 million) research grant awarded to the Belgian biotech company Rewind Therapeutics by…
July 31, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Surgery with Anesthesia Does Not Raise Person’s Risk of MS Relapse, Study Finds No excessive relapse risk appears to exist for people with multiple sclerosis who undergo surgery that requires anesthesia, researchers report, challenging long-held assumptions associated with MS and surgery. Their single-site study, “Multiple sclerosis relapse risk in the postoperative period: Effects of…
July 30, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Early MRI Screening Can Predict Long-term MS Disability, Help Guide Treatment, Study Says Routine screening through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict long-term disease progression — leading to more certainty and informing better treatment choices, a 15-year study reported. The study, titled “Early imaging predictors of long-term…
July 25, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Tecfidera Up Against Bafiertam in Phase 1 Study of GI Tolerability A first healthy volunteer has enrolled in a randomized, double-blind Phase 1 study to compare the gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability and safety of oral Tecfidera to Bafiertam, an oral bioequivalent in treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), Banner Life Sciences…
July 24, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Standing Frame Exercises Aid Lower Limbs of Progressive MS Patients, UK Study Says People whose advanced progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) limits their mobility can strengthen their lower limbs and improve life quality by engaging in regular standing exercises in their homes, a U.K. study into physiotherapy programs for this patient group reports. The study, “Assessment…