News

A genome-wide analysis of over 110,000 people allowed researchers with the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (IMSGC) to discover 200 genetic loci (the position of genes on a chromosome) that are common to people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were given in the presentation, “200 loci complete the genetic puzzle of multiple sclerosis,” by Dr. Nikolaos…

Damaging immune system defects seen in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be repaired using a simple stem cell approach, according to a new study by researchers in China and the U.S. The study, “Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Reversed The Suppressive Deficiency Of T Regulatory Cells From Peripheral Blood Of…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with more advanced disease, as evidenced by disability, and those more frequent relapses or aversion to needles are among the groups of people at higher risk of discontinuing Betaferon (interferon beta-1b) treatment, researchers report. These findings may help to alert clinicians to those least likely to adhere to…

RedHill Biopharma recently announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the Japan Patent Office for a new patent covering RHB-104 as a potential treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Once granted, the patent will be valid until 2032. The European Patent Office also recently approved a patent application for the drug with this…

Apitope and Merck KGaA announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement regarding ATX-MS-1467, a potential disease-modifying therapy for  multiple sclerosis (MS). Under its terms, Apitope will regain full global rights over ATX-MS-1467, as well as all clinical data related to the compound. In 2009, the company granted exclusive global rights to Merck KGaA to develop…

A group of proteins found in wheat can cause symptoms of such inflammatory health conditions as multiple sclerosis (MS), asthma and rheumatoid arthritis to worsen, and may also promote gluten sensitivity, according to researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany. These findings, recently presented at United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week 2016, turn attention away from one…

Using a computer mouse can be difficult for people with the many diseases or injuries that affect muscular control, including those with multiple sclerosis (MS).  So a company called Perceptive Devices has designed a way around that problem, and recently released a new version of its Smyle Mouse, a device that tracks facial…

The MS Society in the United Kingdom awarded £177,930 (about $217,800) to Dr. Sassan Hafizi, a researcher at University of Portsmouth, to investigate the potentially beneficial role of a central nervous system molecule, called Gas6, in repairing the myelin damage seen in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) . Hafizi and Dr. Arthur…

Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) was seen to help reverse disability among patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in relatively early stages of the disease, researchers report. The study, “Alemtuzumab improves preexisting disability in active relapsing-remitting MS patients,” published in the journal Neurology, supports the idea that treatment…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced that is investing more than $10.5 million to support an anticipated 42 new research projects into multiple sclerosis (MS), part of its commitment to scientific efforts aimed at stopping MS, restoring lost function to patients, and, ultimately, ending the disease forever. The dedicated funding is part of a projected society investment of…

Mouse experiments with compounds having opposite actions on two receptors for TNF (tumor necrosis factor) — a key factor in neurodegeneration — explains why earlier trials of TNF blockers in multiple sclerosis (MS) went wrong, and paves the way for more selective drugs targeting the system to stop MS neurodegeneration. The…

Voluntary running triggers a molecule called VGF, a nerve growth factor, that was seen to induce a brain repair mechanism in animals, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa in Canada report. The findings have important implications for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions caused by damage to…

The MS Society in the United Kingdom is funding a new project at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, to examine if  heparin, a drug widely used for stroke patients, can repair neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a progressive, debilitating, immune-mediated, neurodegenerative disorder in which…

Neurologists in the U.S. expect — or, at least, highly anticipate — that Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), being developed by Roche as a treatment for both relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), will be approved by year’s end, and a sizable number plan on quickly prescribing it, according to a recent update by  Spherix…

I made a trip to the dentist today. What does that have to do with multiple sclerosis, you ask? Stay with me. We’ll get there. But first, let me tell you about a weekend conference that my local chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society held recently. One of…

The experimental therapy laquinimod was seen to prevent the start of harmful immune responses and to disrupt the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. This finding may be especially promising, as the treatment is being developed for people with both relapsing MS and its rarer progressive…

Stress urinary incontinence affects predominantly young adult mothers with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), particularly those with pelvic organ prolapse, according to a recent study. Exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles are suggested to reduce the risk of incontinence. The study, “Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women With Multiple Sclerosis,”…

Singer-songwriter Lori Jenaire is supporting the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) #25for25 fundraising campaign with the release of her Top Five Billboard Hot Singles Sales debut “As You Are,” featuring Patrice Rushen. The song is a remake of the 1978 Pharoah Sanders’ R&B soul classic, which in its original version featured Phyllis…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing Adapta Medical’s PerfIC Cath, an intermittent and easy-to-use urinary catheter that was designed for patients with limited dexterity by a doctor who is also a quadriplegic. Urinary tract symptoms can trouble people with multiple sclerosis (MS). In fact, according to the National MS Society,…

I have to be honest. This is a complex subject for me. As a child I was taught to pray and to believe in what I prayed for. I truly believed that there was nothing that God and I couldn’t get through together. This conviction accompanied me into adulthood.

GeneFo, an MS patient community that provides support, advice, and clinical trial matching, recently co-hosted an online conference with Trent Austin, MD, who reviewed the most updated research and clinical evidence of natural substances – including  medicinal mushrooms, vitamins, biotin and cannabinoids – to inform the public about the potential…

Therapies aimed at regenerating the myelin sheath can work to restore proper brain activity and may be a viable way of treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the University of California San Francisco. In the study, “Accelerated Remyelination During Inflammatory Demyelination Prevents Axonal Loss And Improves Functional Recovery,” published…

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) recently installed a state-of-the-art SafeGait 360 Balance and Mobility Trainer on its Austin, Texas campus. The device is a ceiling-mounted body-weight support and fall protection system that tracks patient movements 2,500 times per second. The trainer was designed in collaboration with…

Abide Therapeutics announced that Celgene has opted to obtain the rights, outside of the United States, to ABX-1431, Abide’s endocannabinoid system modulator being developed to treat neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), by reproducing within the body the physical benefits (minus the psychotropic effects) of cannabis. ABX-1431 is an…

An indirect comparison of results from randomized clinical trials in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients suggests that Tysabri (natalizumab) is more effective than Gilenya (fingolimod) at reducing disease activity. The study, “The Efficacy of Natalizumab versus Fingolimod for Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review, Indirect…

PathMaker Neurosystems is the winner of the Universal Biotech Innovation Prize 2016 for its innovative, non-invasive neurotherapy technologies to treat conditions linked to neural pathway disruption, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The selection was announced at Innovation Days, an international event honoring the best in the life sciences and held in Paris on Oct. 3–4. Launched in 2009 by a…

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Trust is expressing its disappointment at the recent committee decision of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to not recommend Zinbryta (daclizumab) be made available as a therapy to MS patients using the public health system in England and Wales. NICE’s preliminary recommendation was based on a review of…

A virus known to cause respiratory infections in people — the human coronavirus (HCoV) — may also be the source of neurological diseases that strike patients, seemingly out of the blue, a new study reported. Results obtained in the study, “Human Coronavirus OC43 Associated with Fatal Encephalitis,” support the idea that diseases…

A researcher at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s School of Nursing and Midwifery found that the practice of mindfulness helps people with long-term medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, to manage their diagnosis. The study, “Starting where I am: a grounded theory exploration of mindfulness as a facilitator…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the health authority for England and Wales, has decided not to recommend Zinbryta (daclizumab) be made available to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients through the country’s health service. The decision came in a first stage of the drug’s review process, and NICE is welcoming…