March 18, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD MSAA, Lumina partner to provide MRIs to MS patients in Ohio Lumina Imaging has partnered with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) to provide affordable brain and spinal cord MRI scans to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The partnership makes Lumina the preferred provider for the MSAA’s MRI Access Program in northeast Ohio. The program is designed…
March 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Cell therapy using Tregs in MS headed to Phase 2 trials in Poland The Polish biotechnology company PolTREG plans to launch Phase 2 trials testing its Tregs therapy ā the T-cell-based treatment PTG-007 ā in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Poland later this year. The biotech company has earned a Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) certification for its new manufacturing…
March 15, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD New bilingual graphic aims to raise awareness of early MS symptoms A bilingual graphic educational message, dubbed VISIBL-MS, has been developed by researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) to raise awareness about the early symptoms of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The graphic ā bearing the word āVISIBLYā in English and āVISIBLEā in Spanish ā uses the letters in each phrase…
March 15, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Metabolon, Cardiff University partner for MS biomarker research Metabolon and Cardiff University are partnering to discover new biomarkers that could help better understand disease mechanisms and develop new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). The project leverages Metabolon’s expertise in metabolomics, a field of research that measures all products of metabolism, called metabolites, that are made…
March 14, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Rituximab for MS may safely control disease in children, teens Treatment with rituximab, an approved CD20 inhibitor that’s sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), was found to adequately control the neurodegenerative disease in patients diagnosed during childhood or adolescence, a new study showed. The therapy, given byĀ infusion into the bloodstream, was generally safe and significantly reduced…
March 14, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Exercise improves mental health, life quality for MS patients: Analysis Getting physical exercise can improve subjective well-being and health-related quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new meta-analysis shows. “Exercise interventions, especially aerobic or combined aerobic and resistance training, should be implemented in clinical practice to promote mental health” and health-related quality of life in people…
March 13, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Phase 1 trial of KYV-101 opening in progressive MS without relapses Researchers at Stanford University have partnered with Kyverna Therapeutics to conduct an investigator-initiated clinical trial of the company’s cell-based therapy, KYV-101, in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) without relapses. The open-label Phase 1 trial (NCT06138132) will take place at the Stanford Multiple Sclerosis…
March 13, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Common MS therapies appear safe to use while breastfeeding Taking antibody-based medications for multiple sclerosis (MS) while breastfeeding does not appear to harm a child’s health or development during at least the first three years of life, according to a preliminary study of more than 180 babies. Children breastfed by mothers taking Tysabri (natalizumab), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab),…
March 12, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Comorbidities common in MS patients in clinical trials, study finds Nearly half of all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who participated in clinical trials ā including global, pivotal studies ā had one or more comorbidities, or coexisting conditions, the most common being depression and high blood pressure, a meta-analysis study found. While the rate of patients with comorbidities “may be…
March 12, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS lesions may start as small clumps of microglia in patient’s brain In multiple sclerosis (MS), lesions in the brain may start with small clusters of immune cells called microglia, a new study reveals. Scientists are working to understand exactly how these small clusters may develop into MS lesions, which they hope could uncover new targets for treating the disease.
March 11, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Genetic model can help predict risk of MS in optic neuritis patients A model based on genetic factors could help predictĀ the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in people with optic neuritis, an eye disorder that can be an early sign of MS, according to new research. “As a doctor caring for many patients with optic neuritis, Iām excited by…
March 11, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD FDA declines to approve GA Depot as treatment for relapsing MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided not to approve an application seeking clearance of GA Depot ā a long-acting formulation of glatiramer acetate ā for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Importantly, this is not a rejection of the application for the…
March 8, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Briumvi, an infusion treatment for MS, granted 3 more patents TG Therapeutics has secured three additional U.S. patents for Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), an anti-CD20 antibody that’s been approved to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent numbers 11,807,689; 11,814,439; and 11,884,740 specifically cover the composition and…
March 8, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: Switch to Briumvi well tolerated in relapsing MS People with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated with an infusion CD20 inhibitor such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) can safely transition to the more recent Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), which is given in shorter infusion times. That’s according to data from the ENHANCE Phase 3b clinical trial…
March 7, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: MRI Paramagnetic rim lesions tied to cognitive decline The presence of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, may help identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are more likely to have cognitive decline over time. Thatās according to four-year data presented by Hannah Schwartz,…
March 7, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: An antihistamine may speed MS disease progression The antihistamine clemastine accelerated disease progression by more than five times in some adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) who received it in a Phase 1/2 trial, new data show. Joanna Kocot, PhD, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), showed that this effect is least partly…
March 6, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: 2 treatments to aid remyelination near clinical trials Convelo Therapeutics is developing two experimental oral treatments to promote myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS) and both have shown promise in preclinical models. The company is in the final stages of safety studies in large animals. Once those studies are done, it plans to start studies that…
March 6, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: Tolebrutinib fails to eliminate iron rim lesions in Phase 2 trial Nearly one year of treatment with tolebrutinib, an oral small molecule being developed by Sanofi, failed to eliminate iron rim lesions in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a small Phase 2 clinical trial. Researchers are continuing to examine study results to determine…
March 5, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Evobrutinib fails to show superiority to Aubagio in Phase 3 trials The experimental BTK inhibitor evobrutinib was no better than Aubagio (teriflunomide) at preventing relapses, reducing brain lesions, or slowing disability progression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from two Phase 3 trials. Both medications had generally similar safety profiles, although increases…
March 5, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Progressive MS patients show gains in NG-01 OLE Repeated treatment with the mesenchymal stem cell therapy NG-01 led to gains in mobility and cognition, along with patient-reported quality of life, for most people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in an extension study. Markers of nerve damage were also reduced, indicating significant nerve-protecting effects. Dimitrios Karussis, MD,…
March 4, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Vidofludimus calcium lowers NfL levels in progressive MS Treatment with Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) lowered the levels of a nerve damage marker in people with all subtypes of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), including those without recent inflammatory activity. That’s according to an interim analysis of data from a Phase 2 study,…
March 4, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Most patients relapse-free after 6 years on Zeposia About two-thirds of people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) remained completely free from relapses over six years of treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) in the DAYBREAK clinical trial. Most also saw no sustained disability progression during that period and the mean number of new or enlarging lesions…
March 1, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Stories and connections emphasized for this year’s MS Awareness Month Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease thought to affect more than 1.8 million people globally, can impact many aspects of daily life. So for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, observed each March, this year’s focus is on the MS experience and the importance of social connections. Multiple Sclerosis…
March 1, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Molecule made by gut bacteria seen to ease MS in mice Supplements of indole 3-lactate (ILA), a molecule made by gut bacteria, significantly reduced disease severity and promoted myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new findings presented by Larissa Jank, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University, at the Americas Committee for Treatment…
February 29, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Briumvi for relapsing MS now available for patients in Europe Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy), an approved treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), is now available to patients in Europe, where itās being marketed by Neuraxpharm. The infusion therapy, developed by TG Therapeutics, was first launched in Germany, with additional rollouts following in other European countries. Under…
February 29, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Australian researchers win grants to study immune system’s role in MS Two researchers from The University of Western Australia (UWA) have received grants from MS Australia for work that may help scientists better understand how an immune system gone awry can cause multiple sclerosis (MS). Belinda Kaskow, PhD, a teaching and research fellow at UWAās School of Biomedical Sciences,…
February 28, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Balance training helps both in easing fatigue, restoring balance: Small trial Both balance and endurance training can help to ease fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā but if problems with balance are a concern, then balance training would be the best choice as it targets both fatigue and balance, a small study found. The study, āFatigue may…
February 28, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Association between proteins may predict early MS disease activity An association between the proteins IgG1 and CXCL10 in the fluid around the brain may help predict the risk of future disease activity for people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to “CXCL10/IgG1 Axis in Multiple Sclerosis as a Potential Predictive Biomarker…
February 27, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Stem cell therapy for MS seen to lower mitochondrial DNA in study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher amounts of mitochondrial DNA in their spinal fluid, which surrounds the brain and spinal cord, than do their healthy counterparts, a small study found. Mitochondria are small cellular organelles that produce most of the energy needed to power cells. These cell powerhouses…
February 27, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Black MS patients in US score poorly on walking, physical ability tests Black people with multiple sclerosis (MS) scored lower on tests of walking and physical function than did white patients, regardless of social determinants of health such as education or income, a U.S. study reported. These findings add to a growing understanding of how MS manifests in Black people, and…