March 4, 2016 News by Charles Moore Risk of Developing MS May Be Reduced by Drinking Lots of Coffee, Study Says A new research study published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry suggests that drinking six cupsĀ of coffee a day could lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers saidĀ the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of caffeine in coffee may explain why drinking a…
March 4, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD In ‘Take Action on MS,’ a New Web Series, Actress Madeleine Stowe Tackles Topics of Import to RRMS Patients Genzyme, a specialty care unit of Sanofi, announced thatĀ TV and film actress Madeleine Stowe willĀ hostĀ its new online series, “Take Action on MS,”Ā focusing onĀ people living with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Stowe, whose father had MS, works with Genzyme to educate people across the U.S. about daily life with the…
March 4, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Names Childrenās Health of North Texas a Comprehensive MS Care Center Childrenās HealthĀ of North TexasĀ has been designatedĀ Ā a Center for Comprehensive MS CareĀ by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, making it the only pediatric healthcare system in the northern part of the state with such a recognition. The Comprehensive MS Care designation acknowledgesĀ an institutionĀ that delivers quality, full patient care in a…
March 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MSAA Draws Attention to Specific Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms Each Week of March, MS Awareness Month March isĀ Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month, and the Ā Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) will be marking it with a campaign to educate and heighten public awareness of the disease and the needs of the MS community. For this campaign, the MSAA will dedicate each week in March toĀ a…
March 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Researcher Awarded $408,000 by MS Society to Study Ways of Easing Fatigue Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, was recently awarded a three-year grant worth $408,000 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to study fatigue-influencing factors among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Dobryakova is a researcher in Traumatic Brain Injury Research at theĀ Kessler Foundation, where she focuses on cognitive issues in…
March 2, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Therapeutic Target for Stabilizing Histamine, an Inflammatory Agent in MS, Identified in Fruit Fly Study Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, workingĀ in the fruit fly model,Ā identified an organic cation transporter, CarT (carcinine transporter), that is crucial to the recycling of histamine in the brain and the maintenance of healthy vision. Histamine is a neurotransmitter involved in chronic inflammation and pathogenesis in multiple…
March 1, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD PhRMA Report Looks at Decade of Progress in Treating MS and Other Chronic Diseases AĀ PhRMA report, titled “A Decade of Innovation in Chronic Diseases,” examined advances made in the treatment of several chronic health conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS), over the past 10 years that have helped patients to avoid disease complications and hospitalizations, and improve their quality of life.
March 1, 2016 News by admin MS Progression Apparently Not Affected by Number of Pregnancies, Study Reports New long-term research indicates that having multiple children does not lessen or otherwise impact disability in women with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā The study, titled “Offspring Number Does Not Influence Reaching the Disabilityās Milestones in Multiple Sclerosis: A Seven-Year Follow-Up Study,“Ā was published in The International Journal…
February 29, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Gait Analysis Identifies 2 New and Highly Sensitive Markers of Disability and Fatigue Researchers analyzingĀ gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) usingĀ wearable inertial sensors have established two newĀ and highlyĀ sensitive observer-independent measures of disability that strongly correlate with fatigue and patient-perceived health status. Their article, titled āDisability and Fatigue Can Be Objectively Measured in Multiple Sclerosis,ā was published in the journal PLOS…
February 29, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Montel Williams Joins KIND Board as an Advocate for Medical Marijuana Montel Williams, aĀ TV and radio talk show host and advocate for medical marijuana as a treatment for multiple sclerosis and other chronic illnesses, has joined the board ofĀ KIND Financial, aĀ technology solutions company, as a key advisor in efforts to support and expand the drug’s use. “Montel WilliamsĀ has become one…
February 26, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Social Network in UK, Shift.ms, Testing an Online Therapy Tool to Help People Deal with Stresses of Disease Shift.ms, the U.K. social network dedicated to people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), is testing a new tool designed to help people cope with the uncertainties and complex emotions that follow their diagnosis. The tool, called Thought Sort, is theĀ first online cognitive behavioral therapyĀ (CBT) specially designed for MS patients.
February 26, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Researchers Create a Nanoparticle Drug Able to Stop Inflammation and Autoimmune Attacks in Mice Researchers, working on an animal model and human cells, discovered a mechanism to halt autoimmune disease damage andĀ developed of a novel class of drugs that triggers the mechanism, and which has the potential to treat autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) without impairing the normal and necessary activities of the…
February 25, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Peripheral Neuropathy Reversed in Zebrafish After Treatment with 2 Drugs A researcher hasĀ identified two drugs that may be used to reverse peripheral nerve damage, also referred to as peripheral neuropathy, resulting from diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and diabetes, the use of chemotherapy in the treatment of some cancers, or traumatic injuries. The researcher,Ā Sandra Rieger, PhD, is an assistant professor…
February 25, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Biogen’s ‘1MSg Campaign’ Encourages MS Patients to Better Manage Their Disease, Engage with Specialists BiogenĀ is launching an initiative developed with the assistance of clinical experts ā the 1MSg campaignĀ āĀ to educate and encourage multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to make disease management decisions that are well-informed andĀ basedĀ onĀ the latest scientific research. The campaignās motto is āTake control, known your choices,ā and one of its main…
February 24, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Relapsing MS Treatment Showing Efficacy in Phase 2 Extension Study, Celgene Reports at ACTRIMS 2016 Celgene CorporationĀ announced theĀ results from anĀ extension studyĀ of theĀ RADIANCE Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating ozanimod in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The results were also presented at the recentĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016Ā in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ozanimod is a small…
February 24, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Protein, Anoctamin 2, Identified as a Target of Autoantibody Production in MS Researchers identified the chloride-channel protein anoctamin 2 (ANO2) as a new target for autoantibody production in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Their study, āAnoctamin 2 identified as an autoimmune target in multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United Sates of…
February 24, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Funds Research Using Zebrafish to Observe CD46 Protein and Its Role in Brain Inflammation In an innovative research project funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Dr. Anne Astier from the University of Edinburgh, U.K., and her team will use zebrafish to track theĀ CD46Ā protein and determine where and how it affects the movement ofĀ immune cellsĀ into the brain, a process believed to influence…
February 23, 2016 News by Charles Moore Science Fiction Becomes Reality for MS Patients in New Robotic Exoskeleton Study Wearable robotic exoskeletons may soon help people with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS) walk more efficiently and confidently again. Exoskeleton technology reduces the amount of energy and muscle exertion needed to initiate and controlĀ the process of walking, according to research presented last week at the Association for Academic Physiatrists (AAP)…
February 23, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Incidence in UK Is Unrelated to Concentrations of Radon Gas, Researchers Find in Large-scale Study Researchers at the University of Northamptonās Radon and Natural Radioactivity Research Group (RNRRG)Ā developed aĀ methodology to study whether radon gas, an invisible and radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer, might beĀ a contributing factor inĀ multiple sclerosis. They concluded that the link between the twoĀ was weak and not statistically significant.
February 22, 2016 News by admin MS Stem Cell Therapies Show Promise, But More Work Is Needed, Researcher Tells ACTRIMS 2016 Dr. Andrew Goodman of the University of RochesterĀ discussedĀ the latest research and perspectives on stem cell strategiesĀ forĀ people with multiple sclerosis (MS), saying in a presentation at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016Ā thatĀ such therapies, while promising,Ā are not yet ready for widespread clinical use. New therapies…
February 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Leptomeningeal Inflammation May Offer New Treatment Targets In Progressive Forms of MS Researchers at Johns Hopkins UniversityĀ in Baltimore presented keyĀ findings today, Feb. 19, concerningĀ the presence of contrast-enhancing lesions in later stages in the relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model. The presentation was made at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016, which is ongoing through…
February 19, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Research on Progressive MS to Be Funded by International Progressive MS Alliance Dr. Timothy Coetzee from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will present an overview of the objectives and achievements of the International Progressive MS Alliance (PMSA), an organization dedicated to facilitating and funding research on progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a form of MS especially lacking effective therapeutic options. Coetzee…
February 19, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Progressive MS Trials May Need a ‘Tailored’ MRI Approach, Researcher Tells ACTRIMS 2016 Dr. Daniel S. Reich with Johns Hopkins UniversityĀ isĀ givingĀ an oral talk on āMRI as an Outcome Measure in Progressive Multiple Sclerosisā at Friday’sĀ ACTRIMS Forum 2016.Ā This year’sĀ meetingĀ focuses on progressive MS, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 20, in New Orleans. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the…
February 19, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc ACTRIMS 2016 Talk Weighs Clinical Differences, Similarities in 2 Major Forms of MS Dr. Wayne Moore, from the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver General Hospital, will present an overview and analysis of the major histology and pathology aspects that characterize and differentiate relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and progressive forms of the disease, primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS).
February 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Results of New SPMS Study to Be Presented at ACTRIMS At the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016, being held from Feb. 18ā20 inĀ New Orleans, LA, researchers haveĀ gathered to discuss āProgressive MS: Bench to Bedside and Back,ā the meetingās theme. Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is one of four types of MS, and is…
February 18, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Effects of Specific Antibodies on MS Neurodegeneration to Be Presented at ACTRIMS Forum Researchers from the University of Tennessee Health Science CenterĀ plan toĀ present the results of a study investigating the contribution of specific antibodies to the neurodegeneration and neuronal dysfunction observed in multiple sclerosis (MS). The studyās results are to be reported today, Feb. 18, at theĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research…
February 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Treadmill Exercise Benefits MS Patients, According to Study Presented at ACTRIMS Forum Brian M. Sandroff from the Kessler Foundation and Robert W. Mot with the University of Illinois will present the results of a study on the effects of exercise in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) today, Feb.18, at the Americas Committee for the Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS)…
February 18, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc NIH Study into Progressive MS Biomarkers to Be Presented at ACTRIMS 2016 Scientists fromĀ the Neuroimmunological Diseases Unit at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will present results ofĀ a study investigating several biomarkers that might leadĀ to a more sensitive and accurate diagnostic test of central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, aĀ keyĀ aspect ofĀ progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The data is being reportedĀ today, Feb.18, at the…
February 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD ACTRIMS Session on MS Progression to Emphasize Continuing Treatment of Advancing Disease The Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016 starts today, Feb. 18, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 20. The opening day’sĀ Session 1, titled “Emerging Concepts in MS,” placesĀ special focus onĀ cutting-edge studies onĀ the pathogenic mechanisms in multiple sclerosis (MS), new measures of…
February 18, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Anavex Life Sciences to Present Preclinical Data on Lead MS Drug Candidate at ACTRIMS 2016 Anavex Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new therapies for neurodegenerative and central nervous system (CNS) diseases, among others, recently announced the presentation of preclinical data forĀ one of its lead drug candidates, ANAVEX2-73, as a multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. The preclinical studyās lead investigator, Dr.