Multiple Sclerosis News

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen Idec has just announced a new support program for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) that encourages patients to turn their attention to daily activities that enhance their emotional and mental state. The newly launched MS Blueprint program assists patients and caregivers in setting positive and realistic goals,…

Heartwarming support for multiple sclerosis campaigns and charity events poured in at last week’s exclusive gastronomic fundraising event, the Toqué! for MS benefit, made possible by the tireless, collaborative efforts of Louis Vachon, the event’s Honorary Chair and President and CEO of the National Bank, and Toqué! Restaurant’s Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux,…

Multiple Sclerosis information resource MSology.com has announced the launch of MS Radio, an exclusive MS-focused radio program, to celebrate the organization’s second anniversary. MSology.com provides news, feature articles and practical tips to more than 100,000 people worldwide. The first radio episode (available here) is a…

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com Television’s “Queen of Mean,” Revenge‘s Madeleine Stowe, recently opened up about her early memories of her father living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that, until today, does not have a known cure. However, thanks to the efforts of countless researchers and MS…

Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will announce their latest results from the Phase 1 data of CTP-354, a drug developed to treat spasticity — a chronic condition associated with patients with brain disorders, including Multiple Sclerosis — at the next American Neurological Association’s Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The Phase 1 randomized,…

One of the concerns patients with neurologic diseases such as multiple sclerosis face is decline or loss of bladder control. It can be an embarrassing and frustrating problem, which is estimated to occur in about 80% of MS patients, as the disease causes a slowing down or interruption in signal transmission…

StatRad is a technology leader in radiology and HealthCare Journey a virtual multiple sclerosis center and educator website guided by the motto, Stop Searching Start Learning. According to a recent press release, the two companies have teamed up to offer…

Evotec AG, a German company specializing in the provision of drug discovery resources to biotech companies and learning institutions, announced that is going to begin three new research projects for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), which will be supported by funds from the German Federal Ministry of Education…

Spanish-Filipino biopharmaceutical startup Ankar Pharma is working on a promising treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Ana Martinez, a professor and researcher at the Biological Research Center (CIB) of the Spanish National Council for Research (CSIC), explains that while there are several palliative treatments available on the market…

New Zealand-based Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) has approved the funding of new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), which are expected not only to reach more patients, but also be more effective in curtailing the disease’s progressive symptoms. The therapies currently funded are meant for the treatment of …

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society recently honored several admirable MS advocates and leaders during the annual NMSS Ambassadors Ball, held in Washington, D.C., to benefit local MS patients and research initiatives. The upscale black-tie evening brought together some of the most accomplished industry leaders and celebrities at the Georgetown Ritz…

Germany’s Multiple Sclerosis Association is hosting an event dedicated to recognizing those who have devoted much of their time and effort to supporting and empowering MS patients in spite of their debilitating condition. The Chairman, former president Christian Wulff, will be present on Thursday, October 16, in Berlin to…

A new study entitled “NAD+ protects against EAE by regulating CD4+ T-cell differentiation” published in October issue of Nature Communications reports that NAD+ can be a future therapeutic drug to treat Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a type of autoimmune disease where the inner…

Now more than ever, groundbreaking, new therapies for chronic diseases and infections come with high price tags. Earlier in the year, Gilead Sciences’ drug Sovaldi for Hepatitis C, as well as Vertex’s Kalydeco for Cystic Fibrosis, both raised eyebrows over their cost. Now, a new MS therapy is doing the…

Researchers recently uncovered some curious new insights into environmental factors that may rise or lower the risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis. A new study entitled “Environmental exposures and the risk of multiple sclerosis investigated in a Norwegian case–control study” published in October issue of…

A scientist from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) is the recipient of 1 of only 5 Multiple Sclerosis Innovation grants from German biopharmaceutical company EMD Serono. Manu Nair, the foundation’s Vice President of Technology Ventures, said that this funding from a new collaborative relationship is a crucial step towards…

New Zealand and Australia-based Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited, a biotechnology company with offices in Sydney and Auckland, has designed and manufactured a unique immunomodulator microparticle pharmaceutical technology. This technology can be used to induce the human immune system designed to fight certain cancers and infections, or modulate certain immune…

A new study entitled “Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction Develops at the Onset of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, and Can Be Induced by Adoptive Transfer of Auto-Reactive T Cells” published in September issue of PloS One, reports that disruption of intestinal homeostasis supports Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, the prototypic…

Approximately 110 multiple genetic variations were previously identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to be associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Now, that number has increased, with more than 159 genetic variants identified, thanks to new research presented by Philip De Jager, M.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical…

54 new multiple sclerosis (MS) research and development initiatives are set to receive substantial funding in order to accelerate new therapies. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) announced that it has pledged $19 million to fund these new MS studies as part of their mission to better manage…

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, has announced that the Canadian province of Québec’s Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) has recommended that the company’s multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) 12 mg be included on the provincial drug formulary under “Médicament d’exception” as a second-line treatment for…

Recent research reveals that placenta-based cell therapy is both safe and effective for treating both Relapsing-Remitting and progressive forms of MS. A new study entitled “Human Placenta-Derived Cells (PDA-001) for the Treatment of Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multiple-Dose Study” and published in August…

A new study, entitled “The Effect of Glatiramer Acetate Therapy on Functional Properties of B Cells From Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis” published online in JAMA Neurology, reports the effect of Glatiramer acetate therapy on B cells in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This first-of-its-kind study could…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune neurodegenerative disease that the biomedical research and pharmaceutical industry has yet to find a cure for. It is a progressively debilitating condition that manifests with a number of unpredictable symptoms that can greatly reduce one’s quality of life. In order…

A new study conducted at the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science of the University of Vermont, reinforces the idea that multiple sclerosis patients can handle exercise regimens, despite their mobility difficulties, in order to improve not only their motor capacities, but also their quality of life. Although over 90% of…

With multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence rates still at concerning levels of 90 for every 100,000 Americans, researchers are continuously seeking to learn more about the disease, and are aggressively working to develop novel treatments and interventions for symptom management. This poses an ongoing challenge for healthcare professionals and academics,…

Funding for continued research and development into understanding, treating, and eventually curing Multiple Sclerosis continues to accelerate. Evotec AG, a German company that specializes in providing drug discovery resources to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and learning institutions, has just announced the launch of its line-up of groundbreaking studies into MS — an…

MediciNova, Inc., recently announced that it had surpassed 50% enrollment for the phase 2b clinical trial evaluating MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis patients. As of September 15th, 150 of an expected 250 patients have enrolled for treatment, and the trial is on track to complete enrollment by the…

A vaccination against multiple sclerosis is in progress in the laboratory of SangKon Oh, PhD, at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research. Along with Gerard Zurawski, PhD, and Ted Phillips, MD, Dr. Oh is applying new insights from research in dendritic cell vaccines to a multiple sclerosis vaccine. “Dr.

For the first time, an antisense oligonucleotide has been shown to be effective in treating relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis. A phase 2a clinical trial of Antisense Therapeutics Limited’s ATL1102, a CD49d antisense drug, showed that the treatment quickly reduced brain lesions in RRMS patients following the start of therapy.