News

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a protein that gets released when nerve cells are damaged — is found at high levels in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting its potential as a biomarker of the disease, a study has found. CSF is…

Switching between CD20-targeting antibodies Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Kesimpta (ofatumumab) doesn’t affect either’s effectiveness at lowering disease activity and slowing disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a real-world study in Germany shows. Researchers did see a link between switching and a faster, continuous decrease of immunoglobulin…

Despite evidence supporting the safety of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) during pregnancy, women with multiple sclerosis (MS) in their childbearing years are significantly less likely than men in the same age range to receive these typically most effective treatments, according to a study from France. The researchers found what they…

Medications that can promote the repair of the myelin sheath — the protective coating around nerve cells in the body — may also help limit nerve damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of data from a small clinical trial testing an anticancer therapy called bexarotene…

Three self-reported prevalent symptoms among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) – fatigue, mobility issues, and cognitive impairment – are generally not associated with lower engagement in healthy lifestyle factors, a study in Australia shows. However, in the long term, mobility difficulties may significantly reduce adherence to physical activity, a…

In progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with estrogen hormones such as estradiol may help reduce inflammation and nerve damage — especially among patients for whom the disease may be triggered or worsened by viral infections — a mouse study has found. U.S. researchers investigating the impact of sex…

More people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are using diet modifications to boost well-being and to manage symptoms, but there’s a lack of data on how these changes influence the course of the disease, a review study found. There’s also no standardized set of dietary recommendations for patients, the researchers…

A research project to explore the genetic connection between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) has been awarded a $24,400 incubator grant by the nonprofit MS Australia. Titled “A novel use of human genetics to recruit participants for MS research,” the…

A type of imaging finding called iron rim lesions are associated with more severe disability and a greater extent of brain damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new analysis suggests. This specific imaging finding may help guide discussions about individualized treatments for MS, the study’s researchers said.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) could slow disease progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a study tracking MS patients in Sweden. The procedure was associated with sustained reductions in biomarkers linked to progressive MS. The results also showed that a significant portion of patients…

Over the past three decades, the number of adults worldwide being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased, but globally, rates of death related to complications of MS have declined, a new study shows. “The period from 1990 to 2021 has witnessed important shifts in the global landscape of…

About 62% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) before and during pregnancy, and the medications don’t appear to harm their health or their babies’ health, recently reported data from an international registry show. Most pregnancies resulted in live, full-term births, and these births generally occurred…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are significantly more likely to visit an emergency department if they have other health problems, aren’t on disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), or have public or no insurance, according to a study at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Although ED [emergency department] visits for MS…

Experts are calling for tailored strategies to enhance the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of older people with multiple sclerosis (MS). As people with MS live longer, age-related biological changes increasingly complicate diagnosing and managing the disease in older adults. No universal framework currently guides how to address these unique…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new analysis of genetic data. The findings indicate genetic changes that influence the activity of immune T-cells may play a role in both MS and Alzheimer’s. The study, “Multiple sclerosis…

A&W Canada’s annual Burgers to Beat MS Day is returning for its 17th year to raise funds for MS Canada and its efforts to improve the lives of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). As part of the fundraiser, A&W will donate CA$2 (about $1.45) to MS…

Fumarate-based therapies like Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) are equally effective among Black, Hispanic, Asian, and white adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S., the largest real-world study of its kind shows. “The findings of this study suggest that fumarate medicines…

Fenebrutinib significantly reduced the occurrence of new brain lesions with active inflammation in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), a Phase 2 clinical trial found. In the open-label extension portion of the FENopta trial (NCT05119569), disease activity “remained very low” for nearly one year, researchers wrote, with 98%…

A common virus that causes cold sores, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), may contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). In mice lacking a protein that helps control HSV-1, infection led to the degradation of the…

Regular exercise that follows established guidelines for physical activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) leads to clinically meaningful gains in depression and supports its use as a nonpharmacological treatment for people with MS, a meta-analysis of 12 studies suggests. The meta-analysis, “Effects of meeting exercise guidelines on depression and…

A global clinical trial has been launched to evaluate the oral therapy candidate BMS-986368 for treating spasticity — muscle stiffness and spasms — in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Phase 2 study (NCT06782490), called BALANCE-MSS-1, will enroll about 200 adults with MS who have experienced spasticity…

A six-week music therapy intervention significantly reduced psychosocial fatigue — or fatigue that interferes with a person’s motivation and ability to engage in social and daily activities — and heat sensitivity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a clinical trial. Participants who received music therapy…

A person’s total number of visits to multiple sclerosis (MS) clinics is not associated with a lower risk of death, suggesting that merely increasing the number of clinical follow-up visits is not enough to improve survival, a new study in Denmark found. Instead, factors such as being female, having…

Researchers have developed a blood test to identify people at risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) years before the first symptoms appear. The test, described in a recent study, looks for antibodies against a protein of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is a leading risk factor for MS.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) visited doctors, were admitted to the hospital, and used emergency care more often than other people more than two decades before their diagnosis, a large study finds. The use of these services peaked in the year before a diagnosis, but visits to a primary…

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is safe and well tolerated, and leads to improvements in disability and a reduction in lesion burden in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of published studies. MSC treatments also reduced levels of biomarkers associated with nerve damage and inflammation,…

Vibration therapy, which provides mechanical stimulation to activate muscles and sensory receptors, may offer a promising new approach for easing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new data from a clinical trial. Patients who received vibration therapy reported reduced perceived fatigue and also showed significant gains…

Blood levels of a protein called GFAP, which reflects the activation and damage to support cells in the brain and spinal cord, may help predict disease severity and the response to treatment with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of clinical trial data. “This…

Treatment with neural stem cells, which have the ability to differentiate into neurons and other supportive cells of the nervous system, was safe and significantly boosted myelin repair in spinal cord lesions in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. The stem cells were able to…

The rates of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who advance from a relapsing disease course to a secondary progressive one have decreased significantly in the past decades, a 30-year study in Italy shows. While the greater availability and earlier use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have played a role,…