April 3, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Multiple Sclerosis Patients Less Susceptible to Gout in Study What do multiple sclerosis and gout have in common? Uric acid. Uric acid, a byproduct of purine metabolism, causes crystal accumulation in joints (usually in the foot) and subsequent pain. Uric acid has also been shown to protect neurons via antioxidant activity. Since high levels of uric acid that…
April 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Vaccinex Releases Pre-clinical Data on Experimental Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Vaccinex, Inc. recently announced positive resultsĀ for a multi center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical trial that evaluatedĀ single ascending-dose tolerability and safety inĀ an experimental treatment for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) adult patients. The researchers enrolled 50 MS patients in one of fiveĀ study groups (1, 3, 6, 10, and 20…
April 2, 2015 News by admin Can Exercise Improve MS-Related Cognitive Problems? Can exercise help brain function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS)? A new study suggests that it is possible. The reportĀ appeared in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. Led by Robert Motl inĀ theĀ Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at…
April 1, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Statins Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis Yields Controversial Results Researchers at the IRCCS Centro Neurolesi āBonino-Pulejoā and the University of Messina in Italy have performed a review on the immunomodulatory activity reported for statins in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and on clinical trial results. The study was published in the journal Pharmacological…
March 30, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Purification Method Promises Affordable Antibody Production For Diseases Like MS The Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) developed a new purification method for pharmaceutical produced antibodies that promises to effectively decrease the high prices of these drugs in the market. Therapeutic antibodies revolutionized how doctorsĀ treat diseases affecting a large number of individuals, such as cancer and autoimmune…
March 27, 2015 News by Maureen Newman New Imaging Technique Reveals MS Progression Related to Diffusivity in Brain Scientists are developing new tools to understand multiple sclerosis pathogenesis and monitor the benefits of treatments. One of these tools is diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a novel techniqueĀ that describes the microstructural organization of white matter tracts in the brain. Although DTI has greater pathological specificity than magnetic resonance imaging…
March 25, 2015 by Maureen Newman Low Dose Naltrexone Review for MS Reveals High Safety Profile, Mixed Results on Benefits in Multiple Studies One of the most widely disputed treatments for multiple sclerosis is low dose naltrexone (LDN). While a plethora of patient testimonies and anecdotal evidence suggest immense benefits of LDN for multiple sclerosis, many clinicians are wary due to the lack of FDA approval outside of treating heroin and alcohol addiction.
March 24, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Develop First Accurate Method to Assess Important Protein in MS, Other Diseases Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet in Denmark have for the first time developed an accurate method to measure apolipoprotein M (apoM), a protein thatĀ is involved in several diseases like diabetes but also arteriosclerosis and sclerosis, disorders characterized by the stiffening of structures usually by…
March 23, 2015 News by admin MS Progression May Be Stopped By New Anti-inflammatory Molecule Researchers at theĀ Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the oldest research center in Australia, developed a molecule that may quellĀ inflammation and stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The molecule couldĀ eventually be used as a drug for the disease. MSĀ is an inflammatory autoimmune diseaseĀ in which the body attacks…
March 20, 2015 News by Kara Elam New MS Educational Program Seeks to Improve Care in Women This week the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in collaboration with The France Foundation, a provider of continuing medical education have launched a new educational program focused on the important issues that affect women with multiple sclerosis (MS), entitled, āStrategies to Improve the…
March 19, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Multiple Sclerosis Eye Care Center Commemorates 10-Year Anniversary TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis Eye Center for Analysis, Research and Education (MS Eye CARE) is celebrating 10 years of expertĀ eye care in improvingĀ diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The Center isĀ the result of aĀ collaboration betweenĀ theĀ University Eye Institute at the University of Houstonās College of Optometry and the…
March 18, 2015 News by admin MS Patients Weigh In on Physician Conflicts of Interest in New Study Multiple sclerosis (MS) is difficult enough for those who have it, causing damage to the nervous system, difficulty with movement, sensation, numbness, loss of vision and pain. People with MS rely on medications and the care of physicians to manage their symptoms and the progressions of the disease. But…
March 17, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Hypertension Medication Found to Offer Protective Effect Against Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms in Mice A new study recently published in the journal Nature CommunicationsĀ led by researchers at The University of ChicagoĀ revealed that a drug for hypertension has a protective effect against symptoms characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mouse models. The study is entitled āPharmaceutical integrated…
March 16, 2015 News by admin Can Emotional Health Influence MS Treatment Outcomes? Emotional health is important when battling any illness, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite this, sometimes the benefits of emotional health are overlooked by healthcare providers. Excessive stress can lead to anxiety and depression, which increases hormones such as adrenalin and glucocorticoids that shut down the immune system. Glucocorticoids have…
March 13, 2015 News by admin Two Progressive MS Phase III Trials to be Presented at AAN Annual Meeting Myelin — the fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells — is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). Is there any way to get it back or to stop the deterioration of myelin? Researchers at MedDay Pharmaceuticals think that their drug may provide the solution. Known asĀ MD1003, the…
March 12, 2015 News by admin Novel Switch for Autoimmune Diseases Could Play Role In MS National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists may have discovered a critical immune system switch that could affect genes involved in autoimmune diseases.Ā The ground-breaking work, published in the journalĀ Nature,Ā may be useful for developing treatments forĀ autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is characterized by an immune system…
March 11, 2015 News by Charles Moore SPMS Drug Developer Opexa Therapeutics To Receive $3M Payment from Merck Serono Under Amended Agreement Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Woodlands, Texas, has announced the successful conclusion of negotiations amending its option and license agreement with Darmstadt, Germany based pharma multinational Merck’s “Merck Serono” division. Under terms of the revised agreement, Opexa will receive a $3 million payment to…
March 10, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Identify a New Genetic Risk Factor for Multiple Sclerosis Development A team led by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently revealed in the journal ASN NEUROĀ a new genetic variation that significantly increases the risk ofĀ developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in women. The study is entitled āA Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in…
March 4, 2015 News by admin Multiple Sclerosis Could be Treated with a Surprising Medication An already approved medication used for bladder problems might help to treat multiple sclerosis, according to researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Lead author Fraser J. Sim, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the University at Buffalo…
March 4, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Women with Multiple Sclerosis May Have Lower Levels of Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants And Nutrients Compared to healthy people, women with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have inferior levels of certain antioxidants and nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties, including vitamin E and folate, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). A research team led by Dr. Sandra…
March 3, 2015 News by Charles Moore Caffeine In Coffee Found To Reduce Multiple Sclerosis Risk Coffee Drinking may confer the side-benefit of lowering the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in susceptible individuals, according to a meta-analysis of Swedish and American studies to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting to be held April 18-25, 2015 at the…
March 3, 2015 News by admin New White Paper Educates MS, Other Autoimmune Disease Patients on Biosimilars Do you know what biosimilar medicines do, and why they are important? If you do, then you might be in limited company. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), a national nonprofit health organization focusing on awareness of autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, has published a white paper…
March 2, 2015 News by admin Multiple Sclerosis Treatments Benefit From Discovery of New Inflammatory Molecule A newly discovered molecule could play a pivotal role in inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, according to researchers at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Queensland Australia. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine,Ā and describes aĀ molecule known as MCC950 that can suppress the ‘NLRP3 inflammasome’,…
February 27, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Translational Medicine Consortium Grants $1.9 Million for MS Research The Strategic Pharma-Academic Research Consortium for Translational Medicine has awarded its first grants totaling more thanĀ $1.9 million to supportĀ research projects dedicated to autoimmune diseases. Among theĀ recipients is researcherĀ Yanjiao Zhou, Ph.D., who is leading a study at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL)Ā focused on multiple sclerosis (MS), as…
February 26, 2015 News by admin EXCLUSIVE: Multiple Sclerosis, Falls and Home Exercise to be Studied at University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign Dr.Ā Jacob Sosnoff wants to know more about falling —Ā something that few multiple sclerosis (MS) researchers focus on, even though itĀ isĀ a dailyĀ threatĀ for manyĀ people with the disease. Sosnoff, an Associate Professor in theĀ Department of Kinesiology and Community HealthĀ at theĀ …
February 25, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Likelihood of MS, Other Autoimmune Disorders in Women Increased By Mercury in Seafood According to Study A new study entitled āMercury Exposure and Antinuclear Antibodies among Females of Reproductive Age in the United Statesā suggests mercury exposure by seafood may increase the risk ofĀ developingĀ autoimmune diseases in women. The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Autoimmune disorders…
February 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Spinal Cord Alteration in Multiple Sclerosis Could Lead to New Therapeutic Target A recent study led by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada revealed a promising new method for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. The study was published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology and is…
February 19, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Now Sponsored by Key Bike MS Supporter TheĀ National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ will receive an annual sponsorship from Showers PassĀ to support itsĀ efforts to improveĀ the quality of life of patients suffering from multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) as well as to find a cure for the disease. Showers Pass manufacturesĀ biking clothes and material and supportsĀ the…
February 18, 2015 News by admin Multiple Sclerosis Study Explores Walking, Cycling, Yoga Effects on Cognition A new study suggests that different types of physical activity might help the mental processes of people with multiple sclerosis. The research comes from the University of Illinois and the State University of New York at Buffalo, and appeared in the February 6th issue of the…
February 17, 2015 News by admin Multiple Sclerosis: How Can MRI Measurements be Improved in Trials? A study from German researchers might help to determine how multiple sclerosis is assessed in treatment trials. Published February 6 in the journal PLoS ONE, the study is titled “Regression to the Mean and Predictors of MRI Disease Activity in RRMS Placebo Cohorts –…