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.
February 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD US Moves Step Closer to National MS, Neurological Disease Registry with Senate Panel Vote The U.S. Senate health committee recently passed the āAdvancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act of 2015ā (S. 849), sponsored by Sens.Ā Johnny IsaksonĀ and Chris Murphy, whichĀ wouldĀ create a nationwide system to track the incidence and prevalence of neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), and thatĀ one day might help lead to a…
February 18, 2016 News by BioNews Staff FDA Grants ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ Designation to Genentechās Ocrelizumab for PPMS Genentech recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted its investigational medicine ocrelizumab, a potential treatment forĀ primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS),Ā Breakthrough Therapy DesignationĀ based on positiveĀ Phase 3 clinical trial results showing thatĀ ocrelizumab significantly reduced disability progression and other disease activity markers compared toĀ placebo. The FDA designation is…
February 17, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD For MS Patients, New Guidelines for Controlling Rare Brain Infection Risk Under Tysabri Treatment The European Medicines Agency Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), responsible for assessing and monitoring safety issues for human medicines, completedĀ a review on the risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with the medicine Tysabri (natalizumab). The issued guidelines have the objective of minimizing patientsā risk.
February 17, 2016 News by admin MS Patients’ Likely Response to Interferon-Ī² May Be Evident in a Blood Biomarker A new study underscoresĀ the variability of immune responses in different people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and suggests this heterogenityĀ affects responsesĀ to the commonly prescribed MS medication interferon-Ī², but blood biomarkers may exist that can help to determine those most likely to benefit from such treatment. The study,Ā “Cytokine profiles…
February 16, 2016 News by Charles Moore MS Treatment and Research Forum, ACTRIMS, Kicks Off Thursday in New Orleans The first standalone forum held by the Madison, Wisconsin-based Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) gets underwayĀ Ā Thursday, Feb. 18, and runs through Feb. 20 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The forum, “Progressive MS: From Bench to Bedside and Back,” is at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans at…
February 16, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Trial to Improve Physical Activity, Lower Fatigue via Telehealth Is Enrolling Participants A new Ā multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā clinical trial being led byĀ Case Western Reserve UniversityĀ investigatorsĀ is now recruiting 215 individuals, across 10 U.S.Ā states to assess whether the fatigue management and physical activity interventions often provided by rehabilitation centers can effectivelyĀ be offered byĀ telehealth, throughĀ a series of teleconferences and phone interviews. AnĀ National MS…
February 15, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Campaign In UK Pushing for Broader Access to Medical Marijuana A new campaign called “EndĀ our pain” is asking people to sign a petition calling onĀ the U.K. to allow all patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) there to have access to medical cannabis as a treatment for MS symptoms, in keeping with countries Ā such as CanadaĀ and Germany, and a number…
February 15, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Relapse, Remission States Seen to Differ in Gene Expression Between Men and Women A Spanish study showed that relapse and remission in multiple sclerosis (MS) states are regulated by small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) molecules inĀ patterns differing between men and women. Scientists have increasingly realized that sncRNAs play an important role inĀ the regulation of gene expression. Various kinds of these RNA molecules, such as…
February 12, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Multiple Sclerosis Co-Pay Relief Program Adds New Prescription Coverage TheĀ Co-Pay Relief programĀ offered through theĀ Patient Advocate FoundationĀ has added a new financial assistanceĀ fund to itsĀ collection of resources for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā The new fund is now available to financially eligible MS patientsĀ with healthĀ insurance coverage to support the costs of necessary treatment medicines. “Our case management department has been…
February 12, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc RedHill’s Experimental MS Therapy, RHB-104, Receives Notice of Allowance on U.S. Patent RedHill Biopharma, Ltd., an Israeli biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of oral-administered small-molecule medicines for the treatment of inflammatory and gastrointestinal diseases, recently announced it has received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a new patent covering its…
February 11, 2016 News by Charles Moore Assess MS: a New Therapy Assessment Tool Developed by Microsoft – Novartis Collaboration When Microsoft rolled out its original Kinect system for playing Xbox video games in November 2010, the technology caught the eye of giant multinational healthcare company Novartis. A longstanding research challenge for Novartis has been to devise and design more consistent methods of quantifying whether multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments…
February 11, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Severe Demyelination in Non-MS Patient After TNF-Ī± Blocker Treatment Detailed in Study TNF-Ī± blocking drugs, such as infliximab, surprised investigators when their use in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) actuallyĀ triggered demyelination. In a case report published in the journalĀ Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation,Ā Vanderbilt University Medical CenterĀ researchers reviewedĀ an aggressive demyelinating event in a non-MS patient treated with TNF-Ī± blockers. TNF-Ī± blockers…
February 10, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Long-term Multiple Sclerosis Study on Family and Environment May Help Predict Who Will Develop Disease A research team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) launched a study on people at risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating disease that affects more than 400,000 people in the United States and about…
February 10, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Study Finds Lipid Antibodies Reflect Changes in Brain Volume and Lesions Brigham and Womenās HospitalĀ researchers reported that antibodies directed at lipids are associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain degenerationĀ in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and may potentially serve asĀ biomarkers for monitoring disease status. While the hyperintense brain lesions detected by MRI are crucial for diagnosis and therapeutic…
February 9, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Patients’ Diminished Sense of Taste Linked in Study to Severity of Brain Lesions Taste deficits are considerably more prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients than previously thought, and correlate directly with the severity of MS-related brain lesions, researchers report in an article titled āTaste dysfunction in multiple sclerosis,ā published in the Journal of Neurology. Sensory problemsĀ are common MS symptoms, with…
February 9, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Patients Seen to Safely Switch to Oral Drugs from Injectable Oral Therapies Stable multiple sclerosis (MS) patients do not appear to be at any increased risk of disease reactivation whileĀ switching to oral therapy following treatment with injectable interferon-Ī²/glatiramer acetate (IFNĪ²/GA), a study reports. Recently publishedĀ in the European Journal of Neurology,Ā the Australian study was titledĀ “Risk of early…