June 23, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Nurse Advocates for Shared Decision-Making to Treat MS Shared decision-making between patients and their doctors and healthcare providers was considered a critical step in the process of treatingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), according toĀ an article published in the journal Practical Neurology. The article āShared Decision-making in Multiple Sclerosis Managementā was written by Amy Perrin Ross, a board-certified…
June 23, 2017 News by Janet Stewart, MSc Tecfidera Improves MS Patients’ Work Productivity, Compared with Other Therapies, Study Shows Multiple sclerosis patients taking Tecfidera, or dimethyl fumarate, were more productive at work than those on Copaxone or beta-interferon therapies, according to a study. Tecfidera also increased patients’ quality of life, researchers said. The study covered patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS. The four beta-interferon treatments wereĀ Avonex, Betaseron, Rebif,…
June 22, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc MS Researcher Stephen Hauser, MD, Awarded the 2017 Taubman Prize Stephen L. Hauser, MD, director of theĀ University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)‘s Weill Institute for Neurosciences,Ā has been awarded the 2017 Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Research. Recognized for scientific work that challenged the way multiple sclerosis (MS) is regarded, Hauserās discoveries have opened new therapeutic…
June 22, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Onetime Canadian Rancher Heidi Redl Wrote a Book About MS to Give Others Hope Heidi RedlĀ was in the physically demanding job of ranching when a doctor told her in 2004 that she had multiple sclerosis. Reluctant to give up her physical capabilities without a fight, the horseback rider and runner from Williams Lake, Canada, searchedĀ for unconventional as well as conventional MS treatments. In…
June 21, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Fatigue and Reduced Leg Function Can Signal Transition to Progressive MS, Study Reports Fatigue and limited leg function are more common among older people with progressive multiple sclerosis than in those withĀ relapsing forms of the disease, according to a study. In fact, they are a sign that the disease of a person with relapsing MS is becoming worse by reaching the progressive MS…
June 21, 2017 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Harvard Study Finds No Link Between Clinical Exams and MRIs in Some MS Patients Physical disability may have no link toĀ brain lesion volume in some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā concludes a recent study led by Dr.Ā Rohit Bakshi, aĀ neurology and radiology professor atĀ Harvard Medical School. The study, āCharacterizing Clinical and MRI Dissociation in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis,ā appearedĀ in the Journal…
June 20, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD AXIM Obtains More Financing for Its Cannabinoid Therapies for MS and Bowel Diseases AXIM BiotechnologiesĀ has secured an additional $4 million in institutional financing to advance clinical trials of itsĀ cannabinoid therapies forĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) andĀ irritable bowel syndrome. Some of the trials involve a chewing-gum therapy delivery system.Ā The financing will let the company continue developing a patented chewing-gum-delivered therapy for pain andĀ spasticity. AXIM…
June 20, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cigarette Smoking Doesn’t Speed Up Disease Progression in PPMS, Canadian Study Suggests Cigarette smoking is certainly no good for you, but it may not necessarily make your primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) worse, a new study finds. The study, āSmoking does not influence disability accumulation in primary progressive multiple sclerosis,ā appeared inĀ the European JournalĀ ofĀ Neurology. It contradicts what was…
June 19, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc FDA Expands Dysportās Approval for Treatment of Lower Limb Spasticity in Adults The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded approval of Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) for treatment of spasticity in adults, a condition that affects many people in the United States, including multiple sclerosis patients. The decision was based on Dysportās supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA)…
June 19, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Highlights Diet, Lifestyle Research Focusing on Living Well With Multiple Sclerosis The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) SocietyĀ has selectedĀ research highlightsĀ from a recent MS conferenceĀ in an effort to help make living with the disease less burdensome. Presentations from the May 24-27Ā annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in New Orleans ā which ranged fromĀ advice on smartphone apps to diet…
June 16, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Tiny Particles Carrying Myelin Antigens Seen to Restore Immune Tolerance in MS Mice Model Researchers managed to change the immune system ā replacing inflammation with immune tolerance ā in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) using so-called quantum dots, orĀ nano-sized particles carryingĀ pieces of myelin. Experiments with this advanced technological solution may helpĀ researchers design MS therapies that are based on promoting regulatory T-cells rather…
June 16, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Air Pollution May Trigger Relapses in MS Patients, French Study Finds Air pollution, particularly tiny inhalable particles aroundĀ 10 micrometers in diameter,Ā is aĀ likelyĀ trigger for relapsesĀ in multiple sclerosis patients,Ā a French study reports. The study, āAir pollution by particulate matter PM10 may trigger multiple sclerosis relapses,ā was published in the journal Environmental Research. A growing number of epidemiological studies suggest…
June 15, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD IQuity Given $1M NIH Grant to Advance Research into RNA-based Diagnostic Tests for MS The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $1 million grant to IQuity, a Nashville-based company looking into novel RNA targets that ultimately benefit patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders. The NIH grant is part of the institute’sĀ Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
June 15, 2017 News by Janet Stewart, MSc High Salt Consumption Has No Effect on Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms or Prognosis, Study Finds Eating a diet high in salt won’t worsen or speed up multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, concludes a study of MS patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS).Ā That contradicts earlier studies by researchers from Argentina, Vermont and elsewhere who warned of a possible link between high sodium consumption and MS. The…
June 14, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Stressful Environment Triggers Inflammatory Cells Linked to Autoimmune Diseases Like MS, Study Shows A stressful microenvironment, characterized by low metabolites and low oxygen levels, triggers the generation of immune cells directly implicated in a variety of inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, āCellular Stress in the Context of an Inflammatory Environment Supports TGF-Ī²-Independent T Helper-17 Differentiation,ā was…
June 14, 2017 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc SPMS Patients Have Higher Illness Burden than RRMS Patients, Kantar Health Study Shows Patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have a higher burden of illness than patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, a new study showed. The study, āCharacteristics, burden of illness, and physical functioning of patients with relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional US survey,ā appearedĀ in…
June 13, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Unpublished Data May Point to Link Between Lemtrada and Other Autoimmune Diseases in MS Patients Previously unpublished results of clinical trials of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) appears to contain key information as toĀ why many multiple sclerosis patients who use it develop other autoimmune diseases. Researchers looked at the immune cell mix after Lemtrada depleted many of those cells. They discovered that certain B-cells repopulate the body earlier…
June 12, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Joins Other Groups Urging Reform of U.S. Law Protecting Disabled Airline Passengers The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ and a dozen other advocacy groups have banded together toĀ support theĀ Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2017, a bill seekingĀ to strengthen the rights of airline passengers and close service gaps often faced by patients with disabilities, including those with multiple sclerosis (MS).
June 12, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Maccabees Band Plans Charity Concert for the United Kingdom’s MS Society The Maccabees rock band will play an exclusive gig in London to raise funds for the United Kingdom’s MS Society, supporting the organizationās mission of trying to end multiple sclerosis. A key reason for the concert is the group’s passion about the disease. Band members Felix and Hugo White…
June 9, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Way of Growing Astrocytes from Stem Cells May Aid Research into Brain Disorders Like MS Researchers at The Salk InstituteĀ have developed a way to growĀ vital brain cells called astrocytes from stem cells, a potential breakthrough for basic and clinical research into several diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The study āDifferentiation of Inflammation-responsive Astrocytes from Glial Progenitors Generated from Human Induced Pluripotent…
June 9, 2017 News by Charles Moore MS Trust Project to Bring Needed Services to People with Advanced MS Wins October Club’s Support The British fundraising groupĀ The October Club and The MS Trust, aĀ U.K. multiple sclerosis research and support organization,Ā have announcedĀ an ambitious planĀ toĀ potentially helpĀ thousands of advanced MS patientsĀ in need of services. Composed ofĀ people working in the financial equity industry in London, The October Club raises money for a differentĀ charity each yearĀ through…
June 8, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD High-dose Simvastatin Improves Cognitive Function in MS, New Analysis of Trial Results Reports A high daily dose of simvastatinĀ improves multiple sclerosis patients’ cognitive function, according to a new analysis of Phase 2 clinical trial results. The British team that did the research will start a study soon on whether simvastatin, which goes by the brand name ZocorĀ and other labels, can also slow…
June 8, 2017 News by Charles Moore ‘MS from the Inside Out’ Uses Virtual Reality to Share What Life for Patients Is Like Virtual reality (VR) technology is most commonlyĀ associated with gaming and entertainment, but it’s expanding intoĀ a variety of clinical and healthcare applications.Ā The Ontario-based biopharmaceutical firm EMD Serono, Canada, is now using VR as an informational and educational tool to provide a more profound understanding of what living with multiple sclerosis…
June 7, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ocrevus Phase 3 Trial Will Explore How Treatment Works by Viewing Changes in Spinal Fluid Already an approved treatment for relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is still undergoingĀ scrutiny in several clinical trials. MostĀ focus on the drugās effects in specific patient groups, but one studyĀ aims to advanceĀ understanding ofĀ how Ocrevus works to harness disease. To do so, the open-label Phase 3…
June 7, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Bringing More Minority MS Patients into Research Is Project’s Goal, Starting with 15-Minute Survey The MS Minority Research Engagement Partnership Network is calling for all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, ages 21 and older, to respond to a 15-minute online survey. Investigators are hopingĀ to better understand how people with MS from different ethnic backgrounds and races viewĀ medical research, so as to engage them in…
June 6, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ongoing Ocrevus Trials Seek More Knowledge of Treatment Effects and MS Patients’ Benefits Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a recently approvedĀ therapy for relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā is now on the U.S. market, but research intoĀ itsĀ use is far from over. Several clinical trials, sponsored by Ocrevus’ developer Genentech or its parent company Roche, are looking at various aspectsĀ of the treatment. Multiple Sclerosis…
June 6, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Brain Damage Linked to MS Affects Ability to Interpret Others’ Emotions and Intentions, Study Reports How multiple sclerosis affects the “social brain,” whichĀ governs the ability to understand how others think and feel ā a skill called social cognition ā is linked to specific types of brain damage that occur in MS: both lesions and microscopic changes taking place in the brain’s white matter, aĀ research team…
June 5, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD FDA Approves Two Bayer Products to Help MS Patients Stay on Top of Interferon Injections The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a supplemental biologics license application for two BayerĀ products that helpĀ multiple sclerosisĀ patients keep track of their injections ofĀ Betaseron (interferon beta-1b). The products are theĀ myBETAapp and theĀ Betaconnect Navigator software.Ā A biologics license application is a request for permission to market…
June 5, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Researchers Develop New Method to Specifically Target Immune Cells that Trigger MS, Other Autoimmune Processes Researchers atĀ Cincinnati Childrenās Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) have developed a new experimental method to specifically target unwanted activation of the immune system without the toxicity of current immunoregulatory drugs. According toĀ the study āManipulating DNA damage-response signaling for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases,ā published in the journalĀ …
June 2, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC17 – Ocrevus, Progressive MS and Other Research Highlights: An Interview with CMSC’s Robert Lisak The recent annual meeting of theĀ Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā brought researchers and healthcare professionals to New Orleans to discuss advances ā and obstacles to advances ā in multiple sclerosis (MS) research. Clinical trials, preclinical studies, basic research, and health interventions were amongĀ the May meeting’s focus. Multiple Sclerosis News…