News

A new study confirmed that depression and chronic fatigue often occur in multiple sclerosis (MS); and in a related condition known as neuromyelitis optica (NMO). NMO is similar to MS because myelin–the fatty substance that insulates nerve cells and helps them to communicate–is also lost. In NMO the myelin deteriorates mostly…

A new robotic device could help people with all types of paralysis, including patients with multiple sclerosis. Erik Sorto is the first person to benefit from the device. Paralyzed at age 21 from a gunshot wound, he is now able to move his robotic arm through the power of his own…

Canadian province Prince Edward Island (PEI) has approved the inclusion of Aubagio (teriflunomide) 14 mg in the PEI Pharmacare’s provincial drug formulary. This means that the drug developed and commercialized by Genzyme is now financially supported by the state as a first-line oral tablet to treat patients who…

Exploratory research conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Illinois at Chicago may translate into a new therapeutic agent to treat progressive multiple sclerosis. Researchers in the laboratories of Dr. Jefferey L. Dupree and Dr. Douglas L. Feinstein tested a new compound in mice with induced multiple sclerosis…

The needs of patients who suffer from progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) will be addressed in a presentation hosted by Alan Thompson, MD, FRCP, from the University College London (UCL) during the Donald Paty Memorial Lecture. The Lecture will take place during the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 29th Annual…

Researchers in the Department of Immunology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis were able to identify a faulty “brake” in immune cells which may be involved in the inflammation triggering multiple sclerosis (MS). This brake is believed to be able to control inflammation, offering the potential for the development of new…

A new study recently published in the journal Annals of Neurology revealed a potential new therapeutic strategy to halt multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression. The study is entitled “Melanoma cell adhesion molecule–positive CD8 T lymphocytes mediate central nervous system inflammation” and was led by…

Results from the BENEFIT11 trial indicate that early treatment with IFNB-1b leads to improvements in cognition and fatigue in the long-term, as well as sustained employment and favorable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes, measured at the 11-year mark. Supported by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, the study, titled “Long-term Impact of Early MS Treatment with…

This week, Belgian-based biopharmaceutical company Ablynx announced they have entered into an exclusive research collaboration with Genzyme, a Sanofi company, to investigate the use of Nanobodies as part of a targeted therapeutic strategy for multiple sclerosis (MS).  The research will utilize Genzyme’s early-stage MS research programs involving neuroprotection…

The 4th International MS Patient Summit, which will be held on May 22 in Rome, Italy, will explore feedback from patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) in an effort to increase knowledge of the disease and, hopefully, improve treatments. Kaz Aston, the conference moderator, is an MS patient herself who was diagnosed with the…

Two Dragons Hypnotherapy recently announced the results of a one-year case study that assessed the effects of hypnotherapy on a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) named Kristen. Case studies such as these, while not enough to establish new scientific conclusions on how to effectively treat a disease such as MS, add…

A team led by researchers at San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Italy and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts recently revealed a new genetic variant linked to multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is entitled “A pharmacogenetic study implicates SLC9a9 in multiple sclerosis disease activity” and is published in…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is organizing a national fundraising campaign just in time for summer. The Swim for MS event will help the association fund activities and support the multiple sclerosis (MS) community with crucial services to help improve the lives of the 400,000 people in the United…

There has been a great deal of recent interest in the connection between nervous system function and the complex bacteria that are found in the gastrointestinal system, known as the gut microbiome. Some scientists believe that differences in the type of bacteria found in the gut may underlie neurological disease. In…

A new study recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine revealed a key difference in immune T cells between multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy individuals. The study is entitled “Functional inflammatory profiles distinguish myelin-reactive T cells from patients with multiple sclerosis” and…

Singer Kristen King began to experience fatigue, muscle weakness and later paralysis in some parts of the body in 2013, and it came as a shock when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). After struggling to deal with the unfortunate news and her new reality, the singer has now…

A study recently published in the journal JAMA Neurology revealed that celiac disease is linked to a significant increase in the risk of nerve damage. The study is entitled “Risk of Neuropathy Among 28,232 Patients With Biopsy-Verified Celiac Disease” and was conducted by researchers…

The Allegheny General Hospital in Pennsylvania is now offering a new treatment option for people with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) — the most common form of multiple sclerosis.  The treatment may help people with RRMS who have not responded to other medications. MS is an autoimmune disorder in which the…

While multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered a rare condition with major unmet medical needs, the treatments for progressive forms of MS are even scarcer, with no viable, FDA-approved drugs available to specifically address these forms of the disease. Because of this, the MS community is eagerly following a major…

Amarantus BioScience has released preliminary data from a blood test for multiple sclerosis (MS) called the MSPrecise diagnostic. The company believes that the test could lead to more accurate diagnoses of MS early in the disease’s progression. MSPrecise is a DNA sequencing test designed to identify specific DNA mutations that are associated with the…

In a recent publication in Nature, titled “Drug-based modulation of endogenous stem cells promotes functional remyelination in vivo” a team of researchers from Case Western University and Northwestern University screened a library of small molecules to assess their ability to drive the conversion of…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) presents many life-altering challenges, but most patients naturally focus most often on the physical challenges associated with the condition: problems with movement, sensation and vision that occur as part of disease progression. Unfortunately, depression and suicidal thoughts are common as well. New research suggests that there could be a relationship…

Frost & Sullivan recently published a report entitled “A Product and Pipeline Analysis of the Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics Market” providing insight into the global multiple sclerosis (MS) drug market. In this report, a competitive evaluation of MS pharmaceutical drugs currently available in the market and experimental drugs in…

Just like any student, Stephanie Butler was excited to start working, in her case as a nurse, when she began experiencing numbness in her limbs and lost sensation below the waist. It was the first time the student nurse was going to administer anesthesia to a patient, three years ago, when after a…

MediciNova, Inc., a publicly-traded biopharmaceutical company developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with unmet medical needs, recently announced that the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) notified the company of full enrollment of their ongoing clinical study evaluating ibudilast (MN-166) for the treatment of progressive…

US-based Multiple Sclerosis Outcome Assessments Consortium (MSOAC) has invited New Zealand-based Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited to join their efforts to develop clinical outcome assessment tools to be used in clinical research on multiple sclerosis (MS). The tool being developed is expected to include a series of tests while improving, accelerating and evaluating…

The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) will initiate a clinical trial of guanabenz in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Guanabenz is FDA-approved for high blood pressure, but it may also prevent myelin loss. The drug could be the first for MS to protect myelin from…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it will consider marketing approval of ZINBRYTA (daclizumab high-yield process), a potential treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Biogen and AbbVie, who are jointly developing the therapy, have filed a Biologics License Application…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) recently published the latest MS Research Update both printed and online at mymsaa.org. This update is a comprehensive overview of research findings on FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies, as well as many experimental treatments for relapsing forms of…

A study published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, led by researchers at Mount Sinai in New York and Celgene Cellular Therapeutics revealed that an infusion based on cells derived from the placenta proved to be safe for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and a…