News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to review an application from Roche seeking approval of its BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib as a treatment for relapsing forms of both multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS). Further, the FDA granted the application priority review, under…

An estimated 3.1 million people worldwide are now living with multiple sclerosis (MS), up from about 2.8 million in 2020, according to the latest update of the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation’s Atlas of MS. The new estimate means that global MS prevalence — the number of people living…

An experimental therapy called kamuvudine-9 (K-9) reversed established paralysis and vision loss in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), offering hope for treatments that can restore lost function rather than just prevent future damage. “Most MS therapies are aimed at preventing the next attack. What’s remarkable is…

A digital lifestyle program promoting a balanced diet, regular physical activity, better sleep, and stress management was associated with improvements in several measures and behaviors reported by people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. Most gains emerged during the intensive three-month program. Over the next 21 months, improvements…

In children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), chemical changes that can influence how genes are switched on or off differ from those seen in young people without the disease, a new study found. These…

Higher blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a well-established marker of nerve damage, are associated with lower daily activity in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. The study also demonstrated that patients in whom NfL levels increased more rapidly over time tended to…

A high-fat diet may lead to worse disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) by altering the composition of gut bacteria, leading to changes in the number of immune cells that enter the brain, a study in mice suggests. According to the researchers, these findings show how a diet…

Prior infection with the cytomegalovirus (CMV), a type of herpesvirus, was associated with lower odds of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), while herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection showed no significant association with the disease. That’s according to a study involving data from more than 320,000 individuals in Israel that also…

A specialized MRI technique detected signs of myelin and iron loss in nerve fibers beneath the brain’s outer layer in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but not in those with a related disease, called neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). That’s according to a study in China that also…

Breathing problems are common in advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), becoming more frequent as disability increases, according to a study by researchers in London. “Screening for respiratory dysfunction can be easily incorporated into routine clinical care by asking about respiratory symptoms,” they wrote. The study, “Respiratory dysfunction in people…

Researchers have identified four key biomarkers in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord that may be used to assess response to MSC-NP, a type of stem cell therapy currently in early clinical testing for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The levels of these four molecules —…

Regulators in the European Union (EU) have recommended that the infusion therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) be approved to treat children and teens, ages 10 and older, who have relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The recommendation comes from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), an arm…

Tiziana Life Sciences has signed a deal with strategic partners to support a clinical trial designed to test its experimental nasal therapy foralumab in people with hard-to-treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Under the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the collaboration involves Tiziana, The King Abdullah International Medical Research…

Among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), greater physical disability is associated with higher depression severity, according to a small study from Egypt. The study showed that people with RRMS had substantially higher rates of at least moderate depression than people without multiple sclerosis (MS). More severe depression was also…

Medically indicated cesarean sections (C-sections) before 39 weeks of gestation, or full term pregnancy, may be more frequent among women with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in those without the disease, a study found. However, this difference was not linked to MS itself, with most commonly reported reasons for early…

Reactivation of dormant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in immune cells may trigger disease flares in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. The researchers found that EBV reactivation in immune cells is detectable in the weeks and months before an MS relapse. “We believe this work provides foundational insights…

An extract from the fruit of the Aegle marmelos plant reduced inflammation and damage to the myelin sheath in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. Researchers found that the extract, administered orally over 42 days, also improved motor and memory performance,…

Changes in the gut microbiome — the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract — at the time of a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis may offer early clues about how the disease will progress, a study suggests. Researchers found significant differences in the overall gut…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Abelzeta Pharma the go-ahead to launch an early-stage clinical trial to test its CAR T-cell therapy candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS) in people with hard-to-treat, progressive forms of the disease. According to Abelzeta, the study’s first part will enroll…

Among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), overall quality of life may be closely associated with walking ability, according to a new analysis. The study showed that lower levels of disability, greater walking abilities, and a higher daily step count were linked to a better quality of life in people…

People whose dietary habits are more in line with a Mediterranean-style diet may be less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Iran suggests. Results also indicate that the risk of MS may be higher in people who don’t get enough of certain key nutrients from their…

Smoking and higher body weight may push the immune system toward a more inflammatory profile in people with newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS), while vitamin D and sunlight appear to be linked to less inflammation, a German study found. The findings overall “elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which modifiable…

Among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and mild to moderate disability, fatigue severity was associated with a range of physical and psychological factors that may be important to consider when managing the symptom, a study found. Using patients’ responses to the Comprehensive Fatigue Assessment Battery for Multiple Sclerosis (CFAB-MS)…

Increased memory loss over longer periods, known as accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF), is greater in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in healthy adults, a study found. Although people with MS performed similarly to healthy controls on short-term memory tests, they remembered significantly less information seven days later, suggesting…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may be marked by problems with the body’s ability to make new mitochondria — the small structures inside plant and animal cells that serve as tiny power plants for turning food into usable energy. That’s the key finding of a new study in which researchers discovered…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who report difficulty sleeping tend to have reduced flow in what essentially serves as the body’s biological sewer system for removing waste from the brain, a new study suggests. The findings imply that getting a good night’s sleep may meaningfully affect brain biology in…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) may have less diverse gut bacteria than healthy people, with shifts in genes involved in how well certain bacteria break through the body’s defenses, according to a study. The findings add to growing evidence that changes in the microbiota may be linked to…

A new experimental cell therapy that pairs a patient’s own red blood cells with myelin protein fragments safely calmed the immune system and helped dampen the inflammatory attack that drives multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from an early-stage clinical trial. The novel approach works by retraining the body’s…

Researchers in Germany have been granted more than $1 million to support the development of a novel skin patch designed to promote myelin repair in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — funding that brings the experimental treatment closer to clinical testing, according to the team. The patch contains…

Automated analyses of a person’s everyday speech patterns could offer a simple, noninvasive way of tracking brain tissue loss in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. Researchers found that changes in speech over a period of two years — in particular, a narrower vocabulary range and more frequent…