July 26, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Kesimpta outperforms Aubagio among ethnically diverse groups Kesimpta (ofatumumab) is more effective than Aubagio (teriflunomide) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) from ethnically diverse groups, including Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, and Asian individuals, according to an analysis of pooled clinical trial data. āDetermining whether there are differences in how people respond…
July 25, 2024 News by Katherine Poinsatte, PhD Potential MS therapy IMP761 to be tested in healthy volunteers Immutep has been cleared to start a Phase 1 clinical trial in the Netherlands to test IMP761, its experimental antibody therapy for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers. The first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial seeks to assess the safety and pharmacological properties of IMP761.
July 24, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Machine learning analysis of eye scans may aid diagnosis of MS Using machine learning to analyze eye scans can help detect slight changes that may be early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially aiding in early diagnosis of the disease, a study found. The study, “SLO-Net: Enhancing Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Beyond Optical Coherence Tomography Using Infrared Reflectance…
July 23, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Modafinil reduces fatigue, improves quality of life in MS: Analysis Treatment with modafinil, a stimulant approved in the U.S. for treating certain sleep-related disorders, significantly reduced fatigue and improved overall quality of life when used in clinical trials for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of published study data. However, its use was linked to a…
July 22, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Fellowship will fund research into myelin sheath repair in MS A PhD student at the UMass Chan Medical School will use funding from a newly awarded fellowship to advance his research into the mechanisms used by cells to repair myelin, the protective sheath around nerve cells that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating conditions. The ongoing…
July 19, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD CHIT1 levels at diagnosis may predict future MS progression Levels of the immune cell protein CHIT1 at diagnosis, taken from the spinal fluid via a spinal tap, may strongly predict how fast disability progression will occur in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. Compared with standard clinical measures used to predict disease progression ā such…
July 18, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Stem cell therapy leads to short-term disability reduction in MS People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to experience a short-term reduction in disability and brain lesion volume after receiving stem cell therapy, according to a meta-analysis of nine studies detailing randomized clinical trials. After six and 12 months, however, the researchers found no differences in disability between patients…
July 17, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MS patients show greater resistance to insulin effects, analysis finds Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients exhibited greater resistance to the effects of insulin ā the hormone responsible for keeping the body’s blood sugar levels within a healthy range ā and had higher overall insulin levels compared with people without the neurodegenerative disease, a meta-analysis of published studies found. These findings…
July 16, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Newly discovered sets of immune cells, genes may influence MS Using a newly developed molecular analysis, a research team has discovered previously unknown subsets of immune cells and genes that may play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-mediated diseases. “We discovered new types of helper T cells as well as genes related to immune disorders. We…
July 15, 2024 News by Katherine Poinsatte, PhD Subcutaneous Ocrevus gets UK approval for relapsing MS, PPMS A subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) received approval fromĀ the U.K.ās Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to treat adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval means that people with relapsing forms of MS and those with primary progressive MS (PPMS) will now be…
July 12, 2024 News by Katherine Poinsatte, PhD Phase 1 trial of ABA-101 for progressive MS gets FDA OK Abata Therapeutics is expected to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial by the end of the year to test ABA-101, its experimental therapy for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), after getting a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA approved Abataās investigational new drug…
July 11, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Methylphenidate may help with eye movement, processing speed in MS Methylphenidate, a stimulant sometimes used to manage fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS), may also ease oculomotor (eye movement) symptoms and increase how quickly the brain processes visual information, according to a pilot study by Kessler Foundation in New Jersey. āOur findings suggest that methylphenidate could be a beneficial…
July 10, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Can Do MS aims to help newly diagnosed patients ‘Take Charge’ Can Do Multiple Sclerosis is putting together a two-day program to help newly or recently diagnosed patients and their caregivers learn more about multiple sclerosis (MS), meet others with the disease, and find strategies to adapt to a new lifestyle. Called Take Charge, the free program will…
July 9, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Researchers win AU$2.9M toward AI precision medicine for MS The Australian governmentās Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has awarded AU$2.9 million (about $1.96 million) to support a project focused on developing artificial intelligence (AI) precision medicine strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS). The project will be conducted by a team of investigators that will include neurologists, neuroradiologists, and data…
July 8, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Frexalimab reduces blood NfL levels over 1 year in Phase 2 MS study Nearly one year of treatment with frexalimab, an antibody being developed by Sanofi, significantly reduced the blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve cell damage that typically is elevated in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thatās according to new data from a company-sponsored…
July 5, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Multiprotein panel may help measure disease activity in MS A panel of 20 proteins in blood may be used to quantify disease activity, namely relapses and lesions, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new paper proposes. “A multi-protein panel like the one developed in this study has the capability to capture the state of a patientās MS…
July 3, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Synaptogenix cleared to launch Phase 1 trial of bryostatin-1 in MS The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an investigational new drug application from Synaptogenix, clearing the company to launch a clinical trial to test whether its lead candidate bryostatin-1 can prevent cognitive decline in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT06190912),…
July 2, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Backward walking speed may be screening tool for mobility in MS Measures associated with how well individuals can modulate their backward walking speed could be used as a screening tool for mobility and cognition problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study by Michigan researchers. A diminished ability to alter walking speed on demand correlated with worse…
July 1, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Bit.bio launches human astrocyte product to help model brain Bit.bio, a company that creates human-derived cell products, has launched a novel product called ioAstrocytes, which provides functional human astrocytes to help scientists model the brain and study neurological disease mechanisms or screen new drugs. Astrocytes are star-shaped cells in the brain and spinal cord that provide support…
June 28, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Immune cells can take on healing abilities to repair nerve fibers: Study When given a specific set of chemical cues, immune cells called neutrophils are able to take on healing abilities that allow them to help repair damaged nerve fibers, a study by U.S. researchers found. The researchers hope to build on this discovery to create new treatments for multiple sclerosis…
June 27, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Immune cell behavior could inform MS treatment strategies: Study Researchers have identified characteristics of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā a family of immune cells that help keep harmful immune reactions in check ā that could make it easier to develop targeted treatments for autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS). They found that Tregs exist as a common pool that…
June 26, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Nykode’s inverse vaccines ease disease severity in MS mouse model Two inverse vaccines from Nykode Therapeutics ā developed to teach the immune system not to respond against its own body ā worked to reduce disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. This adds to earlier findings that the companyās experimental approach and…
June 25, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Subcutaneous Ocrevus approved in EU for relapsing MS, PPMS The European Commission has approved a subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, formulation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) to treat adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval makes the new formulation available in the European Union for the same indications as the original intravenous (into-the-vein) formulation, which is available to people with relapsing…
June 24, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS cognitive problems linked to worse mental, physical life quality People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have cognitive impairment tend to report worse mental and physical quality of life than patients who don’t have cognitive issues, a study reports. Adults with MS who have cognitive problems are also less likely to be employed. The study, “Association…
June 21, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Centers of Excellence added to grow Neural Sleeve use in MS care Cionic has added three renowned institutions on the East Coast to its national Centers of Excellence program, a move that expands the availability in the U.S. of the Neural Sleeve to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions that affect mobility. The program represents a key…
June 20, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Siemens Healthineers gets EU CE mark for NfL blood test for MS Siemens Healthineers has received the CE mark in Europe for a lab-based blood test that measures the levels of neurofilament light chain, known as NfL ā a protein that gets released into the bloodstream upon damage to nerve cells ā in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis…
June 18, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS $2.9M research grant funds technology for MS stem cell therapy The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has awarded a $2.9 million, five-year grant to a research project that aims to advance a new technology that could improve stem cell therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders. āThe work we plan to undertake has significant implications…
June 17, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Anti-CD20s effective MS therapy switch from Tysabri: Review Switching to one of the anti-CD20 targeting therapies Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or rituximab may be an effective strategy for discontinuing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), according to a systematic review. The study, āSwitching from natalizumab to an…
June 14, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Greater immune ‘misdirection’ against EBV found in MS: Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have elevated immune responses to more proteins of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) than previously thought, according to a new study. EBV-specific immune T-cells isolated from MS patients could also respond to multiple proteins found in the brain, particularly those associated with myelin,…
June 13, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Foralumab eases inflammation in 80% of nonactive SPMS patients Most patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who took foralumab nasal spray for at least six months saw a decrease in microglial activity in their brains, according to its developer Tiziana Life Sciences. The results were gleaned from PET imaging data from 10 nonactive SPMS patients…