September 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Smoking Can Accelerate Disease Progression in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis A new study entitled āEffect of Smoking Cessation on Multiple Sclerosis Prognosisā recently revealed that smoking by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) postĀ diagnosis accelerates their disease progression course. The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology and was led by researchers at the…
September 9, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Discovery of Mechanism That “Guides” Immune System Cells to Injury Sites Could Benefit MS Research In a new study entitled āNeutrophil trails guide influenza-specific CD8+ T cells in the airways,ā researchers uncovered a key mechanism mediated by neutrophils that guides immune system cells to the site of an injury or infection. Moreover, this mechanism is crucial for immune cells to function properly…
September 8, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Mental Visual Imagery Strategy Can Improve Neuropsychological Functions in RRMS Patients A new study published in the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience revealed that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with relapsing-remitting forms of the disease can improve specific neuropsychological functions through a mental visual imagery strategy. The study was led by researchers at the University of Strasbourg and the…
September 8, 2015 News by Maureen Newman New Genetic Risk Factors for Multiple Sclerosis Identified in Study Two new risk factors for multiple sclerosis have been identified by a research group at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Led by Dr. Loukas Moutsianas, the team discovered that having HLA-DQA1*01:01āHLA-DRB1*15:01 and HLA-DQB1*03:01āHLA-DQB1*03:02 gene allele…
September 7, 2015 News by admin New Study Unravels How Myelin is Repaired, May Suggest New MS Treatments Japanese scientists have discovered new information about howĀ the myelin sheath is repaired following damage. Myelin is a fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells and helps them to conduct impulses. The researchĀ could have major implications for how multiple sclerosis is understood and even treated.Ā The study, titled “Inactivation…
September 4, 2015 News by Marta Silva Mylan Confirms Continued Patent Proceedings Concerning MS Therapy Copaxone According toĀ a press release from Mylan N.V., the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issuedĀ an inter partes review (IPR) proceeding on all claims against a third Copaxone patent for the 40 mg/mL (U.S. Patent No. 8,969,302) formulationĀ by Yeda Research & Development Co., Ltd.
September 3, 2015 News by admin Biomarkers of Early MS and Overactive Bladder Identified in New Study Researchers at theĀ University of Athens Medical School in GreeceĀ have found that people with early stage multiple sclerosis (MS) and overactive bladderĀ (OAB) have reductions in brain serotoninĀ and a stress-related hormone, cortisol. Serotonin is a chemical that helps nerve cells to communicate. The study, titled “Neurochemical and…
September 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Obstructive Sleep Apnea Found To Contribute to BloodāBrain Barrier Breakdown Experienced By MS Patients In a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroimaging, a team of researchers from the UCLA have reported the first evidence that obstructive sleep apnea contributes to a breakdown of the bloodābrain barrier, which plays an important role in protecting brain tissue. The findings are significant for…
September 1, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Exclusive Breastfeeding Does Not Increase Women’s Risk for Multiple Sclerosis Relapse In a new study entitled āExclusive Breastfeeding and the Effect on Postpartum Multiple Sclerosis Relapses,ā researchersĀ investigated how breastfeeding impacts risk for disease relapse in women with multiple sclerosis. The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Around 20 to 30% of women with…
August 31, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Susceptibility May be Influenced by Female-Specific Variations in MicroRNAs-Coding Genes In a new study entitled āVariants of MicroRNA Genes: Gender-Specific Associations with Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Severity,ā researchersĀ identified variations in genes coding for microRNAs that influence patients’ susceptibility to develop multiple sclerosis, as well as the disease course. Most importantly, these variations were gender specific, identified only…
August 28, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cryoport, Inc. to Supply Opexa’s MS and NMO Immunotherapy Studies with Cryogenic Logistics Solutions Cryoport, Inc., a leader in providingĀ advanced cryogenic logistics solutions for the life sciences industry, has just announced it will be supplying Opexa Therapeutics’ lead personalized T-cell immunotherapy research initiatives for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) andĀ Neuromyelitis Optica (“NMO”). Opexa’s breakthrough immunotherapy drug platform has shown the potential to improve the lives of…
August 27, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Study Shows Correlation Between Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Low Vitamin D Levels An international team led by researchers atĀ McGill University in Canada recently published in the journal PLOS Medicine data supporting a link between low vitamin D levels and the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is entitled āVitamin D and Risk of Multiple…
August 26, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Clinical Studies of Cannabinoid Capsules for MS Expected Later This Year Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease characterized by the destruction of insulating covers on nerve cells by the immune system. The most common form for the disease, relapsing-remitting MS, is characterized by clearly defined attacks of decreasing neurologic function (relapses) followed by partial or complete recovery…
August 25, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Decreased Activity Levels in MS Patients Linked To Cognitive Impairment A new study published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy assessed the cognitive factors affected in multiple sclerosis patients concerning their activity and participation in everyday life. The study is entitled āFactors That Moderate Activity Limitation and Participation Restriction in People With Multiple…
August 24, 2015 News by Charles Moore Clinical Trials Study Cannabis Chewing Gum for MS-Associated Pain and Spasticity AXIM Biotechnologies, Inc. (AXIM)’s clinical trials testingĀ a new pharmaceutical-grade cannabis chewing gum treatment option for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) pain and spasticity are drawing lots of popular and specialty media attention, with reports in Multiple Sclerosis News Today, Marketwatch, Yahoo! Finance, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money,…
August 24, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Novartis Acquires Remaining Rights to Ofatumumab by GSK for Multiple Sclerosis and Other Autoimmune Diseases Pharmaceutical giant Novartis recently announced it has signed an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline for exclusive rights to GSK’s investigational CD20-specific monoclonal antibody,Ā Ofatumumab, indicated forĀ relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and other autoimmune diseases. Novartis had previously acquired rights to the drug for its indications in oncology, effectively marketing it under brand nameĀ ArzerraĀ®.
August 20, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Omnicare Donates $100,000 to National MS Society’s NOW Campaign for Research and Fellowships Omnicare,Ā a Fortune 500 company based in Cincinnati, Ohio that providesĀ comprehensive pharmaceutical services to patients and providers across the United States, recently made a generous donation ofĀ $100,000 to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s inaugural No Opportunity WastedĀ (NOW) campaign. The NOW campaign aims to raise $250 million to help boost ongoing research…
August 19, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Pediatric MS Patients Can Benefit Greatly from Strenuous Physical Activity, Study Suggests A recently published study in the journalĀ NeurologyĀ entitled “lowerĀ physical activity is associated with higher disease burden in pediatric multiple sclerosis” suggests pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis can benefit from engaging in regular moderate to strenuous activity, in that physical activity was linked to a…
August 18, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Sleep Deprivation Found To Be A Main Cause of MS-related Fatigue In a new review entitled āFatigue in multiple sclerosis: a look at the role of poor sleepā author Lauren Strober, PhD explores the link between secondary fatigue and sleep disturbance in multiple sclerosis patients. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology.
August 17, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Oral Disease Modifying Agents for Multiple Sclerosis Are Now More Preferred by Neurologists A survey of 97 neurologists conducted in June 2015 revealed specialists within the field of neurologyĀ are increasingly avoiding prescribing injectables to patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, as orally-available disease modifying-agents (DMAs) continue to gain in popularity. The survey was conducted and reported by Spherix Global Insights, a newly established business…
August 13, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Chicago Local Erica Montelo Named MuckFest MS’ 100,000th Participant Every year, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosts MuckFest MS, a fun mud and obstacle 5K event that raises funds for the society’s mission to support the ongoing search for better treatments and solutions for multiple sclerosis. Earlier this week, the Society gave recognition to the event’s 100,000 “mucker” or…
August 12, 2015 News by Charles Moore Could Multiple Sclerosis Sufferers Benefit From Cannabis Chewing Gum? AXIM Biotechnologies, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on global research, development and production of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food and cosmetic products derived from industrial hemp, has announced commencement of clinical development of its leading patented pharmaceutical chewing gum, MedChew RX, for registration as a drug for relieving pain and/or spasticity…
August 11, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Vitae Pharmaceuticals to Launch New Study of Therapy For MS, Other Autoimmune Disorders Clinical stage biotech company Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently announced the launch ofĀ a Phase I multiple ascending dose clinical study of VTP-43742, the company’s first-in-class RORĪ³t inhibitor pipeline drug, indicated for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and several other orphan indications. Preclinical studies ofĀ VTP-43742 exhibited the…
August 10, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Apitope Completes Enrollment for Phase IIa Trial for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Apitope, a biocompany devoted to drug discovery and development for autoimmune diseases, announced that its partner Merck Serono has concluded the recruitment of participants forĀ its Phase IIa Trial on relapsing multiple sclerosis, (known as a Phase IIa study of ATX-MS-1467 or also M2736) The drug, ATX-MS-1467, is an…
August 10, 2015 News by admin Benefits of Exercise For Kids With MS Touted in New Study A recent research study focused on whether regular exercise can benefit children with multiple sclerosis (MS). The article appeared in the August 12, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. MS is characterized by inflammation, which manifests asĀ an…
August 7, 2015 News by Charles Moore Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Network Funding To Help Expand Multiple Sclerosis Research The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation (MSSRF) have announced the awarding of a $3.2 million grant in support of the Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Network. Canada has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, and is one of the…
August 6, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New MS Testing Model Can Predict If Disease Will Intensify in Patients A new study published in the journal Statistical Methods in Medical Research revealed a new method to determine the disease course in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is entitled āJoint assessment of dependent discrete disease state processesā and was conducted by researchers at…
August 6, 2015 News by admin Could Salt Intake be an MS Risk Factor? Most people know that eating too much salt is bad for your health, but a new study suggests that it could also increase the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS). The workĀ appearedĀ in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal,Ā the journal of the FederationĀ of…
August 5, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cases of Brain Infection Reported in MS Patients Taking Gilenya Multiple sclerosis patients prescribed Gilenya (fingolimod) are now being informed about a handful of documented cases where the therapy was found to have led to a rareĀ brain infection, according toĀ the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has released a public warning indicating thatĀ cases ofĀ progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have been…
August 4, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Pfizer Acquires Exclusive Commercialization Rights to Generic Copaxone for Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Netherlands-based international pharmaceutical company Synthon, best known for developing complex generic therapeutics, has officially entered into an agreement with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc., effectively transferring the exclusive rights in the US to glatiramer acetate to Pfizer. Glatiramer acetate is an experimental generic formulation of Copaxone, which is indicated as a…