News

New research from Argentina explores the idea that controlling symptoms of type 2 diabetes (metabolic syndrome) can also beneficially impact multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression. The study,“Immunologic Effects of Metformin and Pioglitazone Treatment on Metabolic Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis,“ appeared March 7 in the journal…

Neuregulin-1 is a signaling molecule of interest in the context of synaptic plasticity ­— the ability of our nerve cells to form new connections and get rid of those that are no longer needed. Now, a study showed that the factor is also indispensable for repairing myelin in models of spinal…

Researchers, working with an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), discovered that oral treatment with a synthesized plant peptide, known as cyclotide, halted the progression of clinical symptoms without side effects. The finding offers new hope for the development of an easily available and orally deliverable treatment that might slow or even…

Several clinical trials have shown that alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) effectively reduces relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and improves disability in the early stages of the disease. A new study adds to evidence of the drug’s efficiency by finding that it affects different aspects of disability to varying degrees, a finding…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is welcoming Novartis Pharmaceuticals, for a fifth consecutive year, as a leading national sponsor of Walk MS, its annual fundraising and awareness-raising event. This year’s walks will also again feature the musician and multiple sclerosis (MS) ambassador David Osmond leading the society’s as part…

Natalizumab (Tysabri) harnesses multiple sclerosis (MS) activity by targeting CD49, a molecule on the surface of immune cells. Now, researchers found that the drug reduces the factor on regulatory T-cells to a greater extent than on inflammatory T-cells — a mechanism that might explain disease exacerbation during treatment. The molecule under…

A survey, summarizing the views of 2,600 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, showed how people manage their disease in real life — and the results offer some surprising insights that might provide clues for future treatment development and optimization. Conducted by a Stanford University-trained geneticist, Dr. Yael Wilnai, results from the…

Damage to the cerebellum in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is due more to the death of actual nerve cells than the destruction of white matter connections, a new study out of Italy suggests. The article, which challenges previous ideas about how brain damage in MS occurs, is titled “MRI-detectable cortical lesions in the…

Research on a specific type of stem cell found in the placenta, known as decidua-derived mesenchymal stem cells (DMSC), suggests these cells might be the source of future treatments for multiple sclerosis. The report, “Restrained Th17 response and myeloid cell infiltration into the central nervous system by human decidua-derived mesenchymal stem…

Rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition affecting mostly fair-skinned individuals. A study from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, recently showed that the condition in women is also associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) have pinpointed genetic risk factors of the disease that also increase…

MediciNova, Inc., announced that MN-166 (ibudilast) has been approved for “fast track” development by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a potential treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Progressive MS includes both the primary progressive (PPMS) and secondary progressive (SPMS) forms of the disease. MediciNova’s MN-166 was licensed from Kyorin Pharmaceuticals for its potential…

Scientists in recent years have wondered whether a link exists between high lactate levels resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction and multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Now researchers in Italy showed that lactate, a metabolic byproduct, is indeed increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients and may be a disease driver. Mitochondria are the body’s energy factories,…

According to new research published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, environmental factors appear to play a much greater role in the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) than previously recognized. The study, “Ethnicity and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in east London,” was led by scientists at…

The United Spinal Association, a nonprofit focused on improving the quality of life of people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), a group of conditions that include multiple sclerosis (MS), is collaborating with MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and Children’s National Medical Center to study the potential benefits of the bacteria…

Multiple sclerosis was a main focus at the four-day 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy), in Lisbon, Portugal, that concluded on March 20. Among the topics of debate was demyelination as the disease’s main pathogenic precursor and the clinical potential of remyelination. The debate, titled “Can we expect long-term…

Clinical trials have shown that ocrelizumab — an antibody targeting B-cells — is effective in multiple sclerosis (MS). As a result, some researchers and clinicians claim that B-cell depletion is a sufficient therapy in MS, and that drugs targeting other immune cells are obsolete. Not everyone agrees. A debate at…

A major dilemma facing clinicians is whether to continue treatment with disease-modifying drugs, effective in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), as the disease progresses to secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In SPMS,  these treatments seem to lose their benefits and — as they are often associated with severe side effects and high costs — clinicians…

Sanofi Genzyme, one of the companies participating in the four-day 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) in Lisbon, Portugal, that concluded on March 20, 2016, supported several symposiums focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) — including one on B-cell and T-cell therapies. For over a decade, Sanofi Genzyme has worked to develop effective therapies…

Certain therapies used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) have been associated with opportunistic infections of the central nervous system, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but often fatal brain disorder caused by the John Cunningham (JC) virus. The question of whether the risk for opportunistic infections to MS patients outweighs…

Vitamin D is crucial for our general health and it is known that it modulates immune responses. While large studies have shown that supplemental vitamin D lowers the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), not everyone is convinced. In a debate at the 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) March…

The precision of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement has improved over the years, and now scans can identify brain damage before symptoms begin showing. Whether the presence of new or expanding lesions predict disease progression is, however, still controversial, and clinicians have no guidance when making treatment decisions about the…

Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine released preliminary results of an ongoing study into an effective and progressive resistance training program to improve hip strength and walking ability, areas of concern in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The program, consisting of exercises using resistant…

Blood biomarkers in individual multiple sclerosis patients may help clinicians determine which treatments would be of most benefit to that person, according to researchers at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF). The study, published in the journal Neurology, Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, is titled “Cytokine profiles show heterogeneity of interferon-β response in multiple sclerosis patients.”…

Professor Steve Wilton and Dr. Rakesh Veedu from Murdoch University’s Centre for Comparative Genomics in Western Australia received project grants of $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, to investigate and develop new methods for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The grants are part of $1.834 million in research funding given by MS…

Interventions to improve balance in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have produced varying results, but a small clinical trial showed that balance training using a virtual reality tool could help people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and might improve adherence to training. Virtual reality tools are a popular training approach, not least because compliance to…

Dr. Hannah Gullo, a University of Queensland (UQ) School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences researcher, is several steps closer to achieving her goal of using smartwatches to combat the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS), thanks to an $8,000 Ian Ballard Travel Award for 2016 that will fund her flying from…

Microglial cells in the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory processing, may contribute to brain damage associated with cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS). The finding, published in the journal Scientific Reports, implies that targeting microglia could be a promising strategy to improve cognition in MS. While cognitive…

A large-scale online survey, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society  and developed by researchers, is investigating how multiple sclerosis (MS) patients perceive and evaluate the risks and benefits of available therapies. Investigators encourage MS patients to participate in the survey, titled “Multiple Sclerosis Risk Tolerance,” which can be…

People newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to also suffer from other chronic health problems, particularly depression, according to a Canadian study, that also emphasizes the importance of investigating whether the safety of MS treatments differs for these patients. “These findings are interesting for several reasons,” the study’s author,…

The 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) will be held this week — March 17-20 — in Lisbon, Portugal, and Multiple Sclerosis News Today will be there to cover and report on the proceedings. CONy 2016 co-chairs Prof. Amos Korczyn and Prof. Victor Oliveira noted that in…