News

Tailored molecular treatments for specific disabilities may be a breakthrough for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, finds a new study by researchers at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). The study, “Cell-specific and region-specific transcriptomics in the multiple sclerosis model: Focus on astrocytes,” appeared in the journal Proceedings…

An international panel of multiple sclerosis (MS) experts has proposed revising the McDonald criteria guidelines to improve and expedite the diagnosis of this disease. Co-chaired by Dr. Jeffrey Cohen of the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Alan Thompson of the University College London, the 30-member panel reviewed newly available research…

A deterioration in multiple sclerosis patients' handwriting aligns with drops in their movement, sensory and cognitive skills, a study reports. MS includes loss of hand dexterity and finger movement control. This affects a patient's capacity to manipulate objects and coordinate hand movement, skills needed in handwriting. Previous studies have shown that MS patients had less handwriting rhythm and control than healthy people. This time researchers decided to compare the handwriting movements of both MS patients and healthy volunteers. The research involved 19 MS patients and 22 healthy age-matched controls. The team asked participants to write a specific sentence on a digitizing tablet. They discovered that the way MS patients wrote was much different than those of the controls. The patients took a lot longer to write each word and to achieve spacing between words. This led to them taking a much longer time overall to write a sentence than healthy people. In addition, analysis of handwriting strokes showed that MS patients' writing wasn't as smooth as that of healthy people. Researchers also found a correlation between patients’ movement abilities and cognitive status on the one hand and their handwriting ability on the other. The team said it believed “these findings might be very useful when planning rehabilitative task-oriented interventions focused on handwriting abilities.” In fact, rehabilitation specialists should consider evaluating “both the motor movement and the cognitive status of PwMS [patients with MS] in order to tailor the intervention."

Treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) may limit cerebral gray matter atrophy in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, researchers at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found. Their report, “A two-year study using cerebral gray matter volume to assess the response to fingolimod therapy in multiple sclerosis,” appeared in the…

Clomipramine, an approved antidepressant, shows potential in treating people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS)  — a disease form with few treatments — by protecting nerves from various processes thought to underly progressive MS, early research shows. The lab and animal study, which focused on already-approved treatments, was titled “Systematic…

Zinbryta (daclizumab) may not be the best follow-up therapy for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients who stop taking Tysabri (natalizumab) for safety reasons, a case study suggests. An article on the 25-year-old patient’s case, titled “Disease reactivation after switching from natalizumab to daclizumab,” was published in…

A large U.K. survey assessing the frequency of chickenpox and shingles in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients suggests a link between these diseases and MS, researchers report, suggesting their findings could help in decisions regarding immunosuppressive treatments and varicella-zoster virus vaccinations. Results of the study “Prevalence of a history of…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a lower overall lifetime risk of cancer relative to a general population matched by area, age, sex and habits like tobacco use and alcohol consumption, new research reports, suggesting this lesser risk might be due to the nature of MS itself or to disease…

Britain’s National Health Service should cover the multiple sclerosis therapy Extavia, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended. The health service usually follows the institute’s recommendations. So NICE’s endorsement means there is a good chance the health service will begin covering the Extavia prescriptions that…

IMPAQ Health has created a calculator that will help New York State residents compare the cost of hundreds of health insurance plans. The NYPlanCosts Calculator should be particularly beneficial to people with one of eight chronic conditions — multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, hepatitis C, diabetes, HIV, schizophrenia, breast cancer and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given fingolimod a Breakthrough Therapy designation as a treatment for children 10 years and older and adolescents with relapsing multiple sclerosis. Novartis is marketing it in the United States under the brand name Gilenya for adults with relapsing MS. It has yet to approved…

Multiple sclerosis patients with additional diseases, high cholesterol levels or a history of migraine headaches are more likely to experience relapses than other patients, a Canadian study shows. The report, “Comorbidity increases the risk of relapse in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Neurology. Researchers…

A cell recycling process helps trigger an immune response against myelin, the protective layer covering nerve cell axons to aid in signal transmission, a multiple sclerosis (MS) study indicates. When University of Zurich researchers eliminated the process, mice developed much milder forms of an MS-like disease. Loss of myelin is the…

University of Huddersfield researchers have developed a blood test for diagnosing multiple sclerosis that avoids the invasive, painful process of collecting fluid from the brain and spine. The team at the British discussed the test in an article titled “Sphingosine and dihydrosphingosine as biomarkers for multiple sclerosis identified by…

A University of Cambridge researcher, Robin Franklin, has been awarded the 2017 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work on myelin repair and as a potential way of treating multiple sclerosis (MS). Franklin is a senior scientist at the Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell…

U.S. neurologists are increasingly prescribing Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) to their multiple sclerosis patients, Spherix Global Insights reports. Another good sign for Genentech is that, in just three months, neurologists have increased by 50 percent their estimate of the numbers of relapsing-remitting MS patients who could benefit from Ocrevus.

Multiple sclerosis patients should be routinely assessed for chronic and, especially, neuropathic pain in order to properly diagnose and treat this condition, which appears to directly affect the degree of a patient's disability, a new study reports. Pain is one of the most disabling clinical symptoms of MS, associated with suffering, distress, and lower quality of life. Many studies have investigated the prevalence of chronic pain in MS patients but with highly varying results: estimates range from 29 percent up to 92 percent. This disparity is likely due to methodological differences between the studies, as well as differences in the studied population. The result is the prevalence of pain in MS is still unclear, and underdiagnoses of pain in this patient population likely. Researchers in Italy conducted a single-center study to determine the prevalence and characteristics of chronic pain, defined as constant pain for more than three months, in a population of MS patients. Pain was evaluated using validated tools, and the results were analyzed in relation to clinical features such as disease duration and disability. In total, 374 MS patients with different disease severities were assessed for pain. Results found an overall prevalence of chronic pain of 52.1, most frequently affecting the lower limbs. Neuropathic pain, which refers to pain resulting from a lesion or disease impacting the sensory nervous system, was the most frequent type of chronic pain, affecting 23.7 percent of the patients analyzed. Pain intensity was also found to be significantly higher in patients with neuropathic pain compared to those with non-neuropathic pain. Researchers measured patients' disability using the Expanded Disability Status Scale. They determined that patients with chronic pain, and especially those with chronic neuropathic pain, had significantly higher EDSS scores (meaning greater disability) than those without such pain. Both these patient groups were also more likely to be on long-term pain medications: 33 percent of MS patients with neuropathic pain, and 24 percent of those with chronic pain. These results indicate that pain is underdiagnosed and undertreated in MS patients, and a factor that may contribute to increased disability. “Our results suggest that clinical disability is higher in MS patients with chronic pain and, in particular, in those with neuropathic pain,” the researchers concluded. “The present study supports the routine assessment of neuropathic pain in MS patients.”

Researchers further explored how our internal biological clock — known as circadian rhythm — influences immune system responses. Disruptions to that rhythm are associated with immune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), although in ways not fully understood and, the study suggests, may affect response to treatment. A natural 24-hour cycle that exists…

A natural metabolite called taurine may boost the effectiveness of existing multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies, researchers say. Taurine helps oligodendrocytes, which are cells responsible for myelin production, to fully mature and activate the remyelination process of damaged nerve cells. The findings were reported in the study, “…

Blood levels of the nerve damage marker neurofilament light provide a reliable picture of multiple sclerosis activity in both the relapsing-remitting and progressive forms of the disease, a Swedish study reports. The University of Gothenburg researchers also discovered a close link between its levels in blood and spinal fluid. This means the…

Using balloons to enlarge veins so that more blood flows out of the brain and spinal cord fails to help multiple sclerosis patients, according to a clinical trial in Italy. Researchers said the procedure did not improve their functioning or reduce their brain lesions — areas where toxic protein build-ups…

Protamine — an agent used to stop the anticoagulant effects of heparin — was seen to trigger remyelination in mice with myelin damage. But while pointing a way forward for studies of myelin regeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), the research team underscored that protamine itself is not an optimal treatment candidate.

Australia has approved a shorter treatment regimen of Merck’s Mavenclad for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The Therapeutic Goods Administration authorized 20-day courses of the cladribine tablet form of the medication once a year for two years. The regimen reduces relapse rates and the progression of the disease for up to four years, Merck said. The new approval came after Merck submitted additional clinical trial findings on the therapy. Health Canada and the European Commission approved Mavenclad earlier this year. Merck continues to seek its regulatory approval in the United States and other countries. "Mavenclad will be a welcomed treatment option for patients with the relapsing-remitting form of MS,” Bill Carroll, clinical professor of neurology at the University of Western Australia and the Perron Institute, said in a press release. “As an oral therapy taken in two short courses over a two-year period, Mavenclad will be convenient for all eligible patients in Australia, including those who may not live close to their treating healthcare professional," added Carrol, a neurology consultant at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital as well as president-elect of the World Federation of Neurology. Mavenclad targets immune cells that trigger relapsing MS. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, or one in which the immune system attacks healthy cells. Mavenclad inhibits harmful immune T- and B-cells without suppressing the entire immune system. Australia based its approval of the drug on the findings of a number of clinical trials, including the Phase 3 CLARITY, CLARITY EXTENSION and ORACLE-MS studies, the Phase 2 trial ONWARD study, and the long-term PREMIERE studies. The trials involved more than 2,700 RRMS patients, some of whom were followed more than 10 years. The trials showed that Mavenclad can significantly reduce relapse rates, disability progression and brain atrophy. Doctors recommended the therapy for patients who failed to respond to, or are unable to tolerate, other MS treatments. "We are pleased the Therapeutic Goods Administration has updated the product Information for Mavenclad in Australia to reflect additional clinical data," said Simon Sturge, chief operating officer of Merck's biopharma business. "Our next step is to work closely with the Australian government to bring this treatment advance to patients as quickly as possible."

A diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains may decrease symptoms and lessen disease progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The report, “Diet quality is associated with disability and symptom severity in multiple sclerosis,” appeared in the journal Neurology. “People with MS…

 Novartis' Gilenya and interferon beta-1b-based therapies stop multiple sclerosis patients' cognitive decline, a Phase 4 clinical trial shows. Gilenya (fingolimod) also reduces patients' relapses and the number of their brain lesions — areas where a protein coating that protects nerve cells has deteriorated, researchers found.

Teams of inventors working to improve mobility for people with lower-limb paralysis, including those with multiple sclerosis (MS), are invited to take part in a $4 million technology challenge launched by Toyota Mobility Foundation and Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre. The most common causes of lower-limb paralysis are MS, spinal cord injury, and…

Two companies that plan a huge cannabis-growing and research facility in Australia have applied for licenses to run the operations, whose products could benefit multiple sclerosis patients. MYM Nutraceuticals and PUF Ventures Australia asked the Australian Office of Drug Control for both medical cannabis and cannabis research licenses. The applications come at…

A research team at the University of Illinois College of Medicine has received $300,000 from the Falk Medical Research Trust to develop a novel drug delivery method that could improve the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. Established in 1979, the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust - Catalyst Award is granted every year to a dozen U.S. research groups. It provides one year of funding to high-risk, high-reward projects to complete preliminary studies. Catalyst Program winners who achieve their goals can then enroll in the Falk Transformational Awards Program, which offers $1 million for two years to further support the projects. The UIC team, led by Ernesto Bongarzone and Maria Givogri, hope to transform naturally occurring small vesicles released by several cell types into drug targeted delivery vehicles. Cells commonly use these vesicles to communicate with each other. They pack inside the vesicles with many cell products, like proteins and small RNA molecules, then release them into the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid. These vesicles can travel to distant places in the body until they find and fuse with their target cell, dumping their cargo. However, the content of vesicles may not always be good, as they have been shown to play a role in spreading cancer, said fellow anatomy and cell biology professor Givogri. "There is much more to learn about how they function in this way,” she added. The team will use the Catalyst Award to test different methods of vesicles production from mesenchymal stem cells. They will also engineer these vesicles to specifically target oligodendrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Oligodendrocytes are cells that specialize in producing the nerve cell’s protective myelin layer. The efficacy and safety of this new delivery method will be tested in mice. After completing these preliminary studies, the team expects to apply for further funding. The UIC researchers plan to use the vesicles to transport and deliver small RNA molecules, called microRNAs, that can boost myelin production.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has endorsed the North American Registry for Care and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, a collaborative effort involving other multiple sclerosis registries, clinicians, researchers and patients in the U.S. and parts of Canada. NARCRMS is a public-private partnership, bringing together academia, industry, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations with an interest in MS. It operates under the auspices of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. It consists of a database of clinical records and patient-centered outcomes, providing clinicians and scientists with a greater and more integrated ability to track the incidence, prevalence and course of MS. Like many registries, NARCRMS includes data collected by physicians, like neuroimaging scans, genetic markers, cognitive assessments and specimen collection, and testing for identification of biomarkers of disease progression. It also adds patient-reported outcomes focused on disease challenges and impacts on daily life. Its goal is to improve the understanding of MS, facilitate multi-level care, and aid in recruiting patients into clinical trials. NARCRMS is the first open-source database to connect MS centers across North America to regional databases by state, region and zip code. To date, NARCRMS has recruited 10 centers, with another three in the process of coming aboard, and has enrolled 113 patients. The registry builds on North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS), the oldest patient-driven registry in the U.S. using patient experiences to advance MS clinical care and life quality. NARCOMS was created in 1993 by the CMSC. More than 37,500 people had joined the registry as of 2015. Researchers used NARCOMS data on 2014 to report on outcomes in switching treatments, therapy effectiveness, disease progression, co-existing conditions, and other topics that help understand the MS experience.

Canadians with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis can now receive Merck’s Mavenclad, now that Health Canada has approved Mavenclad as a therapy to reduce the frequency of MS exacerbations and delay disease progression. Merck expects the drug to be commercially available by early January 2018 throughout Canada, which has the world's highest MS rate. This follows the drug’s approval by the European Commission in August, making Mavenclad Europe's first approved highly efficient, oral short-course therapy for relapsing MS. Merck said it would seek regulatory approval of Mavenclad in other countries, including the United States. Mavenclad was designed to selectively target immune cells that trigger relapsing MS, while resetting the immune system. With two annual courses of treatment for a maximum of 20 days over two years, the oral drug promotes long-term inhibition of harmful immune T- and B-cells, without continuous suppression of the immune system. Researchers evaluated Mavenclad in five clinical trials: Phase 3 trials CLARITY, CLARITY EXTENSION and ORACLE-MS; the Phase 2 trial ONWARD study ; and the long-term study PREMIERE. These involved more than 2,700 RRMS patients, some of whom were observed for more than 10 years. Clinical data showed that Mavenclad can significantly reduce disability progression, annualized relapse rates and brain atrophy. The treatment is generally recommended for patients who failed to respond adequately, or are unable to tolerate, one or more MS therapies.