Multiple Sclerosis News

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.

Researchers are continuing to make headway in discovering new insights into how MS works, which in turn could lead to next-generation therapies. A new study shows that in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), plasma micro particles act as biomarkers as well as pathological factors that induce endothelial permeability and…

Joy Nabors – The Raw Beauty Project NYC model living with Multiple Sclerosis In a bold movement aimed towards empowering disabled women to stand against social stigmas, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation partnered with innovative visual arts project, Raw Beauty Project NYC, to showcase a series of photographs…

Phase 3 clinical trial results from Biogen Idec and AbbVie presented at the Sixth Triennial Joint Meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS-ECTRMIS) suggest that relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients experience…

The nonprofit organization Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis is going to sponsor the launch of the Optimizing Treatment – Understanding Progression (OPT-UP) study in collaboration with biopharmaceutical company EMD Serono, Inc, a subsidiary of the german Merck KGaA. The study will enroll 2,500 MS patients, which…

MuckFest® MS runners getting down and dirty for a cause. One of the more engaging ways to campaign for awareness and fundraising for a disease is hosting a sporting event. Be it a marathon, weight lifting, biking, or even ziplining, adding an element of fun in supporting a serious…

Trying to nail down the reason for executive deficits in multiple sclerosis can be difficult, considering the number of factors related to the condition. A team of researchers from the Kessler Foundation — led by Victoria Leavitt, PhD, who is now a part of the Manhattan Memory Center, and…

The first round of 22 research grants have been awarded to projects in nine countries by the International Progressive MS Alliance, with the goal of removing barriers to developing treatments for progressive MS. The 22 projects were chosen from 195 research proposals submitted by researchers in 22 countries and…

The underlying cause of fatigue experienced by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients may be undiagnosed sleep disorders, according to a study conducted at the Department of Neurology of the University of California. Not only is that a problem in itself, but also an undiagnosed and untreated sleeping disorder may exacerbate the…

Biogen Idec revealed data from its second year of the phase 3 ADVANCE clinical trial for the study of Plegridy as a treatment for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, which demonstrated the positive effects of the subcutaneous injectable therapy beyond the first year…

Biopharmaceutical company Merck Serono, a division of Merck, recently awarded a total of €1 million to the five winners of the second annual Grant for Multiple Sclerosis Innovation (GMSI) at MS Boston 2014, the joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ACTRIMS) and European Committee…

During the 30th Congress of the European Committee for Research and Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) last week in Boston, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA), together with Active Biotech (NASDAQ OMX NORDIC:ACTI), presented new follow-up data evaluating the clinical safety of laquinimod in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)…

Biogen Idec presented the five-year results from its ENDORSE phase 3 extension study of Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), which revealed that the treatment is able to provide strong and sustained efficacy to patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), at last week’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS summit. Not only did…

This past Wednesday, September 10th, the largest, most anticipated multiple sclerosis (MS) convention — the 6th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Triennial Meeting, MSBoston 2014 — kicked off with a whopping 8,000 registered attendees, all eager to learn more about the latest developments in MS. One of the highlights of…

During the joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ACTRIMS) and European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), taking place in Boston from September 10-13, EMD Serono, Inc., a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, will present new data from its multiple sclerosis…

Acorda Therapeutics will present results of a study analyzing AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets in multiple sclerosis patients at the 2014 Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting in Boston, held through September 10-13. Unlike many other studies of therapeutic agents, this study looked at prescribing patterns, patient compliance, and budget impact…

Biopharmaceutical company Receptos, Inc. announced that they will review data from the phase 2 portion of the RADIANCE trial, the company’s phase 2 / 3 study testing RPC1063 in the treatment of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS). The data is being presented at the largest meeting dedicated to multiple sclerosis…

Transparency Life Sciences, LLC (TLS), the first clinical-stage drug development company based on open innovation in the world, recently received a $1.4 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant intended for its phase IIa proof-of-concept study, which is assessing the utility of the ACE inhibitor lisinopril as an adjunctive treatment for patients with multiple…

Any intervention that could help multiple sclerosis patients preserve long-term memory would likely be well-received. As suggested by a recent study from the Kessler Foundation, “Working Memory Mediates the Relationship Between Intellectual Enrichment and Long-term Memory in Multiple Sclerosis: An Exploratory Analysis of Cognitive Reserve,” one…

For a 23 year-old country girl from the University of Kentucky to go through the harsh demands of an American beauty pageant, there has to be an inspiration stemming from something more profound than a desire for world peace, a sash, and a shiny crown. Last month, on July 12th,…

The Oceans of Hope yacht, part of the Sailing Sclerosis Foundation project, has recently arrived in Boston after its transoceanic trip from Lisbon, the first by a crew of people with multiple sclerosis, announced the foundation through its webpage. The yacht, which started its sailing journey in…

Loss of myelin, the fatty protective sheath around nerve fibers, is a characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS). A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study by a team of researchers has determined that people with MS lose myelin in the gray matter of their brains, and that the amount of loss…

See below for the complete schedule for this year’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Multiple Sclerosis conference in Boston, and stay tuned to Multiple Sclerosis News throughout the week for continuing coverage on breaking science and research news for MS. For the past few weeks, Multiple Sclerosis News Today has been following the lead-up…

During the 30th Congress of the European Committee for Research and Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) taking place in Boston between September 10th and 13th, Genzyme, a Sanofi company, will present its multiple sclerosis (MS) pipeline with a new group of trial treatments for early development of MS.

Biogen Idec, one of the first true biotech companies specializing in products indicated for neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions, and autoimmune disorders, is preparing to present over 90 poster presentations during this week’s 6th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting. The event is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, September 10th through Saturday the…

While multiple sclerosis is most typically associated with progressively declining physical ability, multiple sclerosis patients are often times affected by a number of physical and mental health comorbidities in addition to their worsening physical ability. This observation was highlighted by a group of researchers in Scotland led by Drs.

Those attending this week’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS convention set to take place on the 10th of September until the 13th in Boston, can expect Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to present promising findings on Gilenya (fingolimod) — the company’s leading oral formulation for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previously completed studies and…

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” conducted at University of Lund, Sweden, published on PlosOne by the research group of Dr. Shahram Lavasani in collaboration with…

A novel therapeutic from GeNeuro to treat multiple sclerosis showed promising results in a one-year, open-label extension phase 2a clinical trial. GeNeuro tested its first-in-class GNbAC1 monoclonal antibody in ten multiple sclerosis patients, nine of whom have primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. “We are very excited by the…

A dynamic research team composed of doctors and scientists recently completed and published a study that sought to gain a better understanding of walking impairment, as it is manifested in patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease wherein the impulse-conducting myelin sheath is attacked by the…