News

The Multiple Sclerosis Outcome Assessments Consortium (MSOAC) is making available to qualified researchers a new database containing almost 2,500 records of patients who were part of the placebo groups of nine multiple sclerosis (MS) studies. The MSOAC is a large-scale partnership, launched by the National MS Society and Critical…

In a study published in the International Neurology Journal, researchers showed that cognitive deficits, such as memory problems, in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS) are mirrored by changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory processing. The findings…

Researchers at the Center of Excellence for Myelin Repair, a part of Mount Sinai, reported that gut bacteria produce compounds that were seen to affect the myelin content in mice and cause social avoidance behaviors. Study results indicated that targeting gut bacteria, or the gut metabolites, might help in treating neuropsychiatric disorders or complications, such as those…

MedDay recently disclosed full study results from the MS-SPI and MS-ON Phase 2b/3 trials of its therapeutic candidate MD1003 in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the trials included people with “not active” progressive MS and those with either relapsing or progressive MS and visual loss, respectively. Data, presented at the recent American…

Researchers at the School of Medicine of the University of California (UC), Riverside, found that TNF-alpha, a factor known for its pro-inflammatory actions, also triggers processes that end inflammation by inducing a type of immune surveillance cell, called M-cells. By advancing our understanding of immune processes, the finding may lead to…

Multiple sclerosis patients using a cognitive remediation computer training program, part of a controlled trial by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center, had greater improvements in cognitive function than those who used a placebo-training program, according to a presentation at the recent American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Problems in attention, memory,…

A roundtable discussion, provided as a webinar organized by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in advance of its June conference, considered the role of vitamin D in multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers concluded that, while evidence is only circumstantial as to the vitamin’s ability to prevent disease relapses, its multiple health benefits justify…

A researcher at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has been awarded a $540,250 grant from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, to support continued research into the collagen degradative processes linked to connective tissue diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Gregg Fields, a professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and…

New data presented by Biogen and AbbVie at the recent 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) showed that Zinbryta (daclizumab high-yield process) improved cognitive outcome measures in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). Additional results — from post-hoc analyses of clinical trials — also offer a better…

Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti, chair of the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic and the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Professor of Neurosciences, has received the 2016 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research, an honor jointly awarded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Academy of Neurology…

Mabthera (rituximab), a widely approved drug for treating lymphoma and/or rheumatoid arthritis, is highly effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers reported in an observational study in Sweden, where Mabthera is increasingly being used outside of its approved indications to treat relapsing-remitting MS patients. The study, published in the journal…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Event360 announced the opening of the 2016 season of MuckFest MS, a 5K “mud run” and fundraiser with over 20 obstacles along its course to challenge and entertain people of all athletic levels. This year’s run will take place in 11 cities across the U.S., including a…

Biogen reported new data describing the effectiveness of Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) in newly diagnosed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients in a recent presentation at the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The conference, taking place in Vancouver, Canada, runs through April 21. Tecfidera is an…

Sanofi Genzyme is presenting promising data regarding brain volume and retinal nerve fibers in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients — drawn from an ongoing extension study into the disease-modifying drug alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) — at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting  taking place in Vancouver, Canada, through April…

Potentially groundbreaking research by the Tisch Multiple Sclerosis Research Center of New York (MSRCNY) will be presented on April 19 at the 68th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting taking place in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Saud A. Sadiq, director and chief research scientist at the Tisch center, will present results of a…

A Phase 2 clinical trial testing the efficacy of a common antihistamine, clemastine fumarate, to treat optic nerve damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) found the drug able to slightly reverse damage to their visual system. The  study, conducted by researchers at the Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of California San…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting will open with the John F. Kurtzke Memorial Lecture, “Do Relapses Really Matter?”, by the renowned multiple sclerosis (MS) expert Dr. Fred D. Lublin of Mount Sinai Medical Center. The June 1 lecture offers a fresh view on recent evidence into the impact…

Sanofi Genzyme will present new data on its approved multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments — Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio (teriflunomide) — at the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), taking place in Vancouver, Canada, through April 21, as well as data on investigational therapies in its pipeline. In total, the meeting…

When the 2016 annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) opens June 1, marking the organization’s 30th anniversary, at its head will be its executive director, June Halper. The honor is fitting. Halper, a nurse practitioner with a specialty in multiple sclerosis (MS) since 1978, has…

Innate Immunotherapeutics, Ltd., announced that it has completed patient enrollment in its ongoing Phase 2B, placebo-controlled clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of the drug MIS416 as a once-weekly treatment for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). MIS416 is a biologically derived immune modulator that targets myeloid cells, a subset of innate immune cells that can…

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., announced that new data on four of its products, including an approved and a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis, will be presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), running through April 21 in Vancouver, Canada. The data, to be…

A range of new multiple sclerosis (MS) data from Biogen will be revealed at the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Vancouver, Canada, on April 15–21. Presentations will include studies on Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), one of the most frequently used oral MS treatments worldwide, as well as several other…

Genentech announced that it will present new data from three Phase 3 clinical trials of its experimental multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) at the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) being held in Vancouver, Canada, from April 15–21, 2016. Additionally, results of a new endpoint for…

A systematic review of existing medical literature on multiple sclerosis (MS) could shed light on MS causes and predictors for disease progression, and on lifestyle changes — ranging from vitamin D intake to weight loss — that might reduce a person’s risk. The report, “Factors associated with onset, relapses…

Urinary tract symptoms affect a large proportion of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet their extent and type is not well-known. A study reported that among a cohort of people with the disease, almost 70 percent had urinary tract problems, adding to the extent of their disability. The study,…

MedDay SAS recently announced that it has raised €34 million, about $38.5 million, in a Series B financing round. The money will enable the company to lead a confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial, called SPI2, in the United States to assess its lead candidate, MD1003, as a treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). MedDay concluded…

PathMaker Neurosystems, Inc., recently announced the launch of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved clinical trial, in partnership with Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System) and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MyoRegulator for the treatment of spasticity, one of the most common symptoms in multiple sclerosis…

Mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), were found to have milder symptoms if the target of natalizumab (Tysabri) — VLA4 — was absent on B-cells, preventing regulatory cells that might control immune processes from entering the brain. B-cells are increasingly thought to play…

A team of researchers suggested that cigarette smoking is associated with adverse effects to white matter in the brain, and reported that smoking may underlie the clinical course of clinically isolated syndrome, an early and potentially predictive symptom of a progression to multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “Influence of cigarette smoking on white matter in patients with…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced that it has invested $25.3 million to support nearly 60 new research projects aiming to better understand and treat multiple sclerosis (MS), and seven clinical training awards as part of its strategic approach to eventually curing MS. This investment is part of the Society’s plan to commit a…