What's Important Now -- An MS Column by Ian Franks

Here is my Pick of the Week’s news, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. UV Light May Lead Way to New Treatment for MS and Inflammation Now this might be exciting, if turns out that ultraviolet light can truly be the basis of new treatments that…

This is my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. New Company Specializing in Stem Cell Platform for MS and Other Ills Raises $48.5M A news story about a new company raising nearly $50 million to further develop stem cell transplants that…

Here is my Pick of the Week’s News as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Effectiveness and Safety of DMDs Top Patient Concerns with These Therapies, Survey Says Having progressive multiple sclerosis, the issue of drugs that are disease modifying therapies (DMTs) has never arisen in my…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Immune System May Harbor Natural Way of Fighting MS, Other Autoimmune Diseases A genetic key to a possible natural way of battling MS could be worth further work. A variant in the TYK2 gene, which encodes…

I have made no secret of my distrust of the side effects from many of the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that are used mainly in the fight against relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The fact that the most serious, albeit rare, side effects listed by the manufacturers of some drugs, include “death”…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News published last week in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Ampyra Helps MS Patients Not Only Walk Better, But Feel Better Too, Study Reports This is news of encouraging research. Results from a Phase 2 clinical trial showed that treatment with Ampyra (prolonged-release fampridine)…

Doesn’t time fly? It seems only yesterday that I was preparing to go to Moscow, yet tomorrow will be three weeks since my return. I have written enough about my experiences at the A.A. Maximov center so, today, we’ll take a look at how HSCT progresses, step by step. The…

Here is my pick of the week’s news items, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Lemtrada Seen to Help Reverse MS Disability in People in Earlier Stages of Disease A medication that might not just stop but reverse disability of people with relapsing MS? Now, this is…

A woman who says her life was made miserable by fatigue caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), claims she is on the road to recovery because she has taken control of her body and is using a combination of hormones and diet. Instead of relying on conventional treatment, she is…

Here, I comment on my Pick of the Week’s News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Myelin Regeneration Achieved in Mouse Model of MS Remyelination is one of the most exciting developments in the treatment of MS. Therapies aimed at regenerating the myelin sheath can work to…

Here’s my pick of this week’s news, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. How Tecfidera Works to Reduce MS Relapses Finally Discovered, May Lead to Better Treatments The possibility that this discovery may lead to the development of new drugs with fewer side effects is good news.

Here’s my Pick of this Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. This week is a rather special one because it spotlights the work done by our news team in following and reporting the major events at ECTRIMS 2016. Here, I set out my choice of what I…

Life can be really strange and not always fathomable to someone like me who is not blessed with neither medical nor scientific qualifications. On a purely technical basis, I am just an ordinary guy. What I do know about diseases, illnesses and conditions – call them what you will –…

Continuing to live in your own home when you can no longer look after yourself is an ideal many people seek to aspire to – but it’s not easy. Outside help is often needed. Alex Camarillo is one perfect example of this. He is 35 years old, has severe…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. #ECTRIMS2016 was undoubtedly the star of the week ECTRIMS, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, dominated the news stories of the week when it held its 32nd congress in London. There…

A very full day of activities is planned for today at MS Life, inside London’s ExCel exhibition and convention center. Altogether, there are 15 presentations on the agenda. Three are in the MS Life theatre, and three more are in each of the following four zones: Managing my MS Symptoms;…

London’s ExCel exhibition and convention center is set for a busy Saturday as ECTRIMS winds down today and MS Life opens just down the hall. Organized by the MS Society, MS Life is billed as the biggest MS family event in Europe. With ECTRIMS drawing to a close, many…

  Friday carries on the ECTRIMS congress’s style of so much going on that it must be difficult for delegates to decide which sessions to attend and which ones they can afford to miss. Of course, not everyone can make the same choice but, having delved into the agenda, here…

Another full day, today, at London’s ExCel center and numerous sessions, presentations, and debates to attract the attention of delegates attending ECTRIMS. After sifting through the agenda, here are my picks of Thursday’s highlights: This morning sees the beginning of the congress’s plenary sessions, featuring a lecture about “MS diagnosis and…

Europe’s annual congress discussing treatment, including Patient Empowerment, and research in multiple sclerosis is now underway in London. The 32nd congress is being held from today until Saturday, when it draws to a close at lunchtime. The agenda is absolutely jammed full of topics being covered in a multitude of sessions…

Here is my Pick of the Week’s News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Breast Cancer Therapy, Tamoxifen, May Promote Myelin Repair in MS Remyelination could be a new role in MS therapy for a drug that has been used to treat breast cancer for some…

The show comes to town in the next week with ECTRIMS hosting what it describes as “the world’s largest annual international conference” devoted to basic treatment and clinical research in multiple sclerosis. It is being held in London’s ExCel center from Wednesday to Saturday morning, and will be followed…

Virtually all the talk about availability of HSCT1 as an MS treatment includes the need to travel long distances to other countries, but U.K. residents can receive the treatment in London, avoiding the journey overseas. What’s more, it is provided through the country’s social National Health Service (NHS) so, like…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Gilenya-like Therapy Shows Benefit in Secondary Progressive MS Patients in Phase 3 Trial Here’s a potentially encouraging development for anyone with SPMS. Patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who were treated with BAF312 (siponimod),…

Many people voiced their concerns to me about anyone with MS moving to live in a sunny climate. That worry is understandable. With a disease that includes heat sensitivity, where even a hot shower can make you worse, how can any MS patient move to live in an area where…

News that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to hold a public hearing next month to consider greater oversight of stem cell clinics operating in the country is as welcome as it is late. I say “late” because, while the regulators have been twiddling their fingers,…

  Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Umbilical Cord Blood-derived Cell Therapy Promotes Remyelination in Mice Now this is different, using umbilical cord stem cells. A cell therapy product derived from human umbilical cord blood cells may be…

Being diagnosed with MS can be more than a bit of a shock at first. Yes, you finally know what you’ve got, what all those symptoms you’ve having mean, and you have heard what your neurologist told you. Well, you may have heard, but you didn’t take it in…

It is often said that real life mimics television, and one hit TV series certainly reflects the theme: “my life is my own, MS cannot have it.” During the 1960s, 1967–68 to be exact, an iconic television show ran on Sunday nights called “The Prisoner.” It starred Patrick McGoohan as…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Blood Test Seen to Distinguish MS from Other Neurological Conditions A faster way to tell the difference between neurological diseases could mean earlier access to treatment for MS patients. Researchers at Michigan State…