News

The upcoming 9th annual “Glial-neuronal Interactions in Health and Disease” symposium will bring together nearly 200 neuroscientists — focused on neuron and glial cell interaction and its affect on diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) — to discuss the latest findings in this area of brain research. The daylong symposium is to be held…

A team of researchers from the Netherlands have developed an interactive web-based program called MSmonitor that offers multiple sclerosis patients a way to manage and better integrate the multidisciplinary care they require. Pilot data from a study of its use is detailed in the article, “The interactive web-based program MSmonitor for…

Alkermes plc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on therapies for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, announced that it has successfully met its 2015 goals for their product and late-stage pipeline drug portfolio, including ALKS 8700, a monomethyl fumarate (MMF) drug candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis…

In a new study, researchers from the University of Toronto, Canada, uncovered the process behind the formation and maintenance of tertiary lymphoid tissues (TLTs), structures found in the meninges in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Their findings, reported in the article “Integration of Th17- and Lymphotoxin-Derived Signals Initiates…

Akaal Pharma, a developer of small molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammation and autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS), recently announced highly positive preclinical trial results on the safety and efficacy of its drug candidate AKP-11 when compared to Gilenya (fingolimod, FTY-720), an oral MS drug approved by…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced that a panel of experts led a comprehensive review of 142 published studies addressing rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS), and found evidence suggesting that weekly in-home or outpatient physical therapy offers benefits — but, mostly, it found a lack of well-designed studies into…

Researchers are proposing for a first time that multiple sclerosis (MS) is triggered by the death of a specific cell population within the central nervous system called oligodendrocytes. The study, titled “Oligodendrocyte death results in immune-mediated CNS demyelination,” was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Oligodendrocytes,…

Addex Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule allosteric modulators for neurological disorders, recently announced the publication of positive results from studies evaluating the therapeutic effect of ADX88178, a metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) modulator, in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. The research article, titled “Allosteric modulation…

Researchers in the United Kingdom recently discovered that a small molecule triggers the destruction of axons, a phenomenon observed in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is titled “Wallerian Degeneration Is Executed by an NMN-SARM1-Dependent Late Ca2+ Influx but Only Modestly Influenced by Mitochondria” and appears in the journal…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of New Zealand (MSNZ) announced that PHARMAC has agreed with its request to finance two novel first-in-line therapies for relapsing-remitting forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), making them accessible to patients there. PHARMAC recently agreed to fund the two treatments, teriflunomide (Aubagio), supplied by Sanofi-Aventis NZ, and dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera),…

Dr. Jerry S. Wolinsky of the University of Texas in Houston, will give the first Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture at the opening day of the Americas Committee for the Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016 in New Orleans, focusing on distinctions between relapsing and progressive disease forms. ACTRIMS…

Dr. Bradley Bowser, a South Dakota State University (SDSU) researcher and assistant professor, is investigating whether the practice of exercise, either by itself or together with cognitive behavioral therapy, can effectively improve mobility and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a neurodegenerative condition that often induces…

In a new study, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas and The Scripps Research Institute in California discovered that the enzyme NEK7, vital to cell division, plays a crucial role in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, essential to the onset of inflammation. This discovery may have a significant impact…

A new study in the Journal of Cell Biology suggests that vitamin D activates a receptor involved in myelin regeneration in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, entitled “Vitamin D receptor–retinoid X receptor heterodimer signaling regulates oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation,” and was led by researchers…

In a new study titled “Adipsin Is Associated with Multiple Sclerosis: A Follow-Up Study of Adipokines,” researchers report a correlation between an adipokine called adipsin and the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published in the Multiple Sclerosis International journal. Obese adolescents…

A research team from the University of Alberta, Canada, is exploring a new therapeutic way of reducing brain inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fewer side effects. The study, titled “Granzyme B-inhibitor serpina3n induces neuroprotection in vitro and in vivo,” appeared in the Journal of Neuroinflammation. Most available…

Juntendo University Hospital, the first medical school in Japan to adopt Western medicine, recently signed a research agreement with SyntheticMR to employ the company’s SyMRI technology in clinical research projects at the hospital involving patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or brain tumor metastases.  SyntheticMR is a Swedish company developing and commercializing software…

The holidays can be stressful on everyone, and especially on those with multiple sclerosis (MS). A health specialist is offering these eight suggestions to MS patients and their families as a way to enjoy this season, and to keep it as free as possible of disease flares or symptom worsening. Increased demands on daily routines, travel,…

Takeda Pharmaceutical, a pharmaceutical company based in Osaka, Japan, recently announced that a widely approved drug treatment for the prevention of relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) is now available in Japan as well. Copaxone, (glatiramer acetate; 20 mg daily subcutaneous injection), developed by Teva Pharmaceuticals, is an immunomodulatory drug designed to act as…

In a new study entitled “Transcriptional response to interferon beta-1a treatment in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis,” a team of researchers discovered a subgroup of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients (SPMS) exhibiting the same gene expression response to interferon (IFN) treatment as patients with relapsing-remitting MS…

Brickell Biotech, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing novel therapies in the field of dermatology, recently announced it has exclusive worldwide rights over a series of new, retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma (RORy) inhibitors from the New York University (NYU) and Orca Pharmaceuticals. As part of the agreement, Brickell will be…

RedHill Biopharma, Ltd., recently announced the conclusion of the last dosing and patient follow-up visit for its Phase 2a proof-of-concept study to assess the efficacy and safety of the experimental drug RHB-104 as an add-on therapy to interferon beta-1a in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation recently announced the funding of new research on pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and on the role played by the gut microbiome in brain and autoimmune diseases. Although only around 5% of all newly diagnosed MS cases…

The Fifth Tykeson Fellows Conference brought senior multiple sclerosis (MS) scientists together with nearly 100 young research and clinical fellows from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS Society of Canada, and MS International Federation to promote collaboration, networking, and the sharing of research data with the goal of improving patients’ lives and developing…

Synthetic Biologics, which specializes in the development of therapies for pathogen-specific diseases, recently announced the publication of new and positive data on results from a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the company’s product Trimesta™ as a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in women. Professor Rhonda Voskuhl, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program…

Researchers demonstrated a process that prevented an induced autoimmune disease from taking hold in the central nervous system of mice, and think it has the potential of being translated into a multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. The study detailing the method and its promising results is entitled “Infusion of Sulfosuccinimidyl-4-[N-maleimidomethyl]cyclohexane-1-carboxylate-Conjugated MOG35–55-Coupled…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded a $700,000 research grant to Dr. Bonnie Dittel, a senior investigator at the BloodCenter of Wisconsin (BCW) and adjunct professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The grant will help Dr. Dittel advance her research into how specific immune cells in the body can…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society recently announced that a research team is recruiting 132 patients with a diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) for a Phase 3 clinical study comparing an experimental medicine with an inactive placebo. NMOSD is a rare disorder caused by immune system cells attacking…

In a recent study, researchers show how a natural antioxidant within pomegranate seeds is capable of inhibiting demyelination in a mouse model for multiple sclerosis (MS), supporting novel formulations of natural antioxidants as therapeutics for demyelinating diseases. The study, “Treatment of a multiple sclerosis animal model by a novel nano drop formulation of…

Ms. Margaret Cadden, a Pennsylvania State University doctoral student in Clinical Psychology, has been selected by the American Psychological Foundation (APF) as the recipient of the 2015 APF Scott and Paul Pearsall Scholarship prize of $10,000. The scholarship will be used to research depression, stigma, and disease progression in individuals with varying…