News

#CMSC16 – Treadmill Walking Improves Cognitive Processing in MS Patients

Treadmill walking exercise training is beneficial for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, increasing not only their cardiorespiratory fitness, but also their cognitive processing speed, according to the study “Systematically Developed Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Exercise and Cognition in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis,” recently presented at theĀ Consortium of Multiple…

#CMSC16 – Robot-assisted Rehabilitation May Improve MS Patient Locomotor Function

Robot-assisted training may be anĀ effective therapy to improve motor function in the lower limbs of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and help in rehabilitation, according to the study “Robot-Guided Rehabilitation Improves Sensorimotor Functions in Lower-Limb Impairments of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis,” presented at theĀ Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers…

#CMSC16 – Medical Affairs VP at EMD Serono Discusses MS Drug Rebif, MS LifeLines Support in Exclusive Interview

EMD Serono,Ā the U.S. and Canadian subsidiary and biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA,Ā focuses exclusively on specialty care. With expertise inĀ fertility, endocrinology, oncology and neurology, the company is featuring several innovative products with therapeutic potential in the oncology, immuno-oncology, and immunology fields. Rebif (interferon beta-1a), EMD Serono’s therapyĀ for patients withĀ relapsing…

#CMSC16 – Lifestyle Factors and Unconventional Medicine in MS Care

A symposium focused on lifestyle factors and unconventional medicine as part of the clinical care provided to patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) took placeĀ today at theĀ 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC). The symposium, “Expanding the MS Toolkit: Integrating Lifestyle Factors and Unconventional Medicine…

#CMSC16 – MS Expert Fred Lublin Discusses Relevance of MS Relapses

Dr. Fred Lublin,Ā a renowned multiple sclerosis (MS) expert atĀ Mount Sinai Medical Center, helped launch theĀ Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting,Ā June 1 – 4, in National Harbor, Md. with the John F. Kurtzke Memorial Lecture he titledĀ ā€œDo Relapses Really Matter?ā€ ā€œHow relapses influence disease worsening,…

#CMSC16 – Patricia Coyle, an MS Expert, Talks About Vitamin D, Fatigue and Other Key Issues

TheĀ Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual MeetingĀ began today, June 1. Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ isĀ providing extensive on-site coverage of the meeting, reporting on presentations, and conducting exclusive interviews with top researchers in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) and with biopharmaceutical representatives on the latest advances in MS therapies.

MS Research Australia Supporting Effort to Harness Anti-inflammatory Potential of Parasitic Worms

Researchers at theĀ University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ithree instituteĀ are takingĀ a novel approachĀ in an attempt toĀ halt disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). The scientists are planning to explore the anti-inflammatory potential of a controlled infection by parasitic worms as a way of preventing the harmful over-inflammation observed in MS and…

MedDay Presents Phase 3 Extension Data on Potential Drug to Treat Progressive MS

Data from an extension phase of aĀ Phase 3 clinical trial, given in an oral presentation by MedDay, reportedĀ that the biotinĀ Ā MD1003 showedĀ effectiveness over time as a possibleĀ treatment of non-active, progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The dataĀ were presented atĀ the recentĀ 2nd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in DenmarkĀ byĀ ProfessorĀ Ayman Tourbah,…

Report Highlights Series of Changes Needed from Canadian Employers and Government to Improve MS Patients’ Lives

A new report by the Conference Board of Canadaā€™sĀ Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Health Care (CASHC)Ā notesĀ that employers and the Canadian government are not giving enough support towardsĀ increasing workforce participation among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), despite the clear benefits such support would mean to not only the well-being of individuals…

R-Pharm Group To Launch Glatirat, an Analogue of Copaxone for MS Treatment

The Russian Ministry of HealthĀ recently granted Marketing Authorization (Š›ŠŸ-003567) to R-Pharm JSC for the development of Ā ā€œGlatiratā€ (Glatiramer acetate), a drug intended for the treatment of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and clinically isolated syndrome. According to a press release, the registration of ā€œGlatiratā€ was based…

Mitochon Raises $1.6M to Begin Clinical Tests of Mitochondrial Modulators for MS

Mitochon PharmaceuticalsĀ announced the completionĀ of a second year of financing, raising a total $1.6 million to advance itsĀ lead compound, MP101, a mitochondrial targeted neuro-protective agent, into clinical testing. The company is developingĀ mitochondrial modulators for patients with neurodegenerative diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’sĀ toĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). A number of studies have…

New Research Center at UC San Diego to Focus on Microbiome and Immunology

TheĀ University of California (UC) San Diego School of Medicine and Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan, are working togetherĀ to establishĀ a newĀ center forĀ immunology research, with a particular focusĀ on the microbiome and mucosal immune responses that are knownĀ to play a crucial role in a variety of diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). ā€œThis…

Relapses Prevented in Multiple Sclerosis Mouse Model

Researchers at theĀ University of Heidelberg, Germany, recently showed that peripheral blood cells loaded with a drug that resembles the myelin protein are able to inhibit harmful immune responses and prevent relapses in a mouse model of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were described in the study “…

ReWalk and Wyss Institute Working to Develop Soft Exoskeletons for MS and Others with Limb Disabilities

ReWalk Robotics, Ltd.,Ā announced it is partnering withĀ theĀ Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired EngineeringĀ at Harvard University to further develop and test lightweight exoskeleton systems for people with disabilities affectingĀ their lower limbs, including thoseĀ withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). ā€œThis is a very exciting day for the soft suit technology,ā€ Conor Walsh, a…

MS and Young Adult-onset Hodgkin Lymphoma May Share Underlying Causes, Study Says

Previous studies suggested that multiple sclerosis (MS) and Hodgkin lymphoma might share underlying causes, including exposure to microorganisms in childhood, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. In the study ā€œMultiple sclerosis and risk of young-adult-onset Hodgkin lymphoma,ā€ published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, researchers suggested that…

Woman with PML Linked to MS Therapy Successfully Treated with IL-2 Cytokine

A case report of a woman with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), who developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) after natalizumab therapy,Ā foundĀ that the immune-boosting molecule interleukin-2 (IL-2) might be a viable therapeutic option to fight this life-threatening complication although further study is needed. The case report,Ā “Use of interleukin-2 for…

Gut Microbiota in Young MS Patients Is Higher in Pro-Inflammatory Bacteria Than Usual, Study Finds

Children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) differ from others in the composition of their gut flora, withĀ higherĀ levelsĀ of inflammation-causing bacteria and lower levelsĀ of anti-inflammatory bacteria, according to a study fromĀ Ā theĀ University of British Columbia, Canada. The findings, supportingĀ previous hypothesesĀ that the composition of the gut microbial community could influence the development…

Sanofi Genzyme and Johns Hopkins Partner on MS Research Projects into Disease Progression

Sanofi GenzymeĀ announced that it entered into a research collaborationĀ withĀ the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to betterĀ understand the underlying causes of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). Sanofi GenzymeĀ has a number of research partnerships withĀ MS academic medical centers, focused on exploring the pathogenesis of MS and potential new…