News

A stem cell therapy being administered to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) outside the United States was recently touted by an MS patient who traveled to Mexico to receive the therapy, revealing significant improvements in her quality of life. Debbie Bertrand, an MS patient who was diagnosed in 2001, is sharing her…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has announced it will grant $28 million to 84 new research projects and training awards focused on multiple sclerosis (MS). The new financial support is included in the society’s comprehensive research strategy, which was designed to not only end MS, but also restore patients’…

A recent study suggests that in the future multiple sclerosis patients could benefit from treatments intended to boost their brain function. The study was published in Nature Neuroscience and received funding from The Wellcome Trust, the Lister Research Prize and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. According to researchers, patients…

MedDay, a Paris, France based biotechnology company specializing in treatment of neurological disorders, has released more information regarding the design of its (MS-SPI) clinical trial that is investigating the efficacy and safety of the investigational medicine MD1003 in treatment of primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Progressive…

The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society recently released a recent paper on wellness titled “Wellness for People with MS: What do we know about Diet, Exercise and Mood And what do we still need to learn?“ The paper focuses on how wellness can be achieved by…

The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) is launching a new mentorship program dedicated to medical residents pursuing a neurology fellowship to accelerate and support their work in treating multiple sclerosis (MS). The initiative was launched at the beginning of the year and seeks to provide information on career…

A recent study published in PLOS ONE provides new insights into the relationship between the immune system and neurodegeneration and clinical disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). A team of researchers led by Dr. Shahin Aeinehband from the Neuroimmunology Unit at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden looked at the association between…

What do multiple sclerosis and gout have in common? Uric acid. Uric acid, a byproduct of purine metabolism, causes crystal accumulation in joints (usually in the foot) and subsequent pain. Uric acid has also been shown to protect neurons via antioxidant activity. Since high levels of uric acid that…

Vaccinex, Inc. recently announced positive results for a multi center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical trial that evaluated single ascending-dose tolerability and safety in an experimental treatment for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) adult patients. The researchers enrolled 50 MS patients in one of five study groups (1, 3, 6, 10, and 20…

Can exercise help brain function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS)? A new study suggests that it is possible. The report appeared in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. Led by Robert Motl in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at…

Researchers at the IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo” and the University of Messina in Italy have performed a review on the immunomodulatory activity reported for statins in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and on clinical trial results. The study was published in the journal Pharmacological…

MS Research Australia has awarded a $150,000 grant to support a project being conducted at Murdoch University aimed at expanding scientific knowledge on the correlation between multiple sclerosis (MS) and Epstein-Barr virus infection. The research grant was awarded to David Nolan, an adjunct associate professor at the Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases (IIID),…

A major trial to investigate different ways to deal with attention and memory problems in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients will take place at Nottingham in the United Kingdom. The Cognitive Rehabilitation for Attention and Memory in people with Multiple Sclerosis (CRAMMS) study will focus on these MS related symptoms…

The Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) developed a new purification method for pharmaceutical produced antibodies that promises to effectively decrease the high prices of these drugs in the market. Therapeutic antibodies revolutionized how doctors treat diseases affecting a large number of individuals, such as cancer and autoimmune…

Scientists are developing new tools to understand multiple sclerosis pathogenesis and monitor the benefits of treatments. One of these tools is diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a novel technique that describes the microstructural organization of white matter tracts in the brain. Although DTI has greater pathological specificity than magnetic resonance imaging…

New research from Italy and Spain demonstrated that intense immunosuppression followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) was better than the medication mitoxantrone in treating severe cases of multiple sclerosis. The study appeared in the February 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology.  MS is characterized by an immune system attack on the…

The online community for neurologists Neurology Times will feature special coverage focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) in celebration of MS Awareness Month, which is currently taking place in March. The online platform was designed to provide healthcare professionals with informational resources about several hard…

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet in Denmark have for the first time developed an accurate method to measure apolipoprotein M (apoM), a protein that is involved in several diseases like diabetes but also arteriosclerosis and sclerosis, disorders characterized by the stiffening of structures usually by…

Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the oldest research center in Australia, developed a molecule that may quell inflammation and stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The molecule could eventually be used as a drug for the disease. MS is an inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the body attacks…

This week the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in collaboration with The France Foundation, a provider of continuing medical education have launched a new educational program focused on the important issues that affect women with multiple sclerosis (MS), entitled, “Strategies to Improve the…

The Multiple Sclerosis Eye Center for Analysis, Research and Education (MS Eye CARE) is celebrating 10 years of expert eye care in improving diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The Center is the result of a collaboration between the University Eye Institute at the University of Houston’s College of Optometry and the…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is difficult enough for those who have it, causing damage to the nervous system, difficulty with movement, sensation, numbness, loss of vision and pain. People with MS rely on medications and the care of physicians to manage their symptoms and the progressions of the disease. But…

A new study recently published in the journal Nature Communications led by researchers at The University of Chicago revealed that a drug for hypertension has a protective effect against symptoms characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mouse models. The study is entitled “Pharmaceutical integrated…

Emotional health is important when battling any illness, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite this, sometimes the benefits of emotional health are overlooked by healthcare providers. Excessive stress can lead to anxiety and depression, which increases hormones such as adrenalin and glucocorticoids that shut down the immune system. Glucocorticoids have…

Myelin — the fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells — is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). Is there any way to get it back or to stop the deterioration of myelin? Researchers at MedDay Pharmaceuticals think that their drug may provide the solution. Known as MD1003, the…

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists may have discovered a critical immune system switch that could affect genes involved in autoimmune diseases. The ground-breaking work, published in the journal Nature, may be useful for developing treatments for autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is characterized by an immune system…

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Woodlands, Texas, has announced the successful conclusion of negotiations amending its option and license agreement with Darmstadt, Germany based pharma multinational Merck’s “Merck Serono” division. Under terms of the revised agreement, Opexa will receive a $3 million payment to…

A team led by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently revealed in the journal ASN NEURO a new genetic variation that significantly increases the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in women. The study is entitled “A Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in…

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified new compounds that could protect from multiple sclerosis related damage, based on studies in mice with nervous system damage, mimicking MS. The study appeared in the journal Nature Neuroscience. MS is an autoimmune…

Image credit: Yaming Wang/Bernd Zinselmeyer A new study has shown that a protein called TREM2 may inhibit microglial repair of damaged myelin in multiple sclerosis. The study appeared in the Jan. 29 issue of Acta Neuropathologica. MS is characterized by the degeneration of myelin, a fatty…