News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared BrainSpec Core, a platform that performs non-invasive measurements of brain chemistry, for use in diagnosing some of the most common diseases that affect the brain, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Developed by BrainSpec, the platform uses magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)…

The presence of damaged myelin — the fatty, protective substance surrounding nerve cells that’s lost in multiple sclerosis (MS) — may be more harmful to nerve cells than its removal altogether, according to new preclinical research. In mouse models of myelin-associated disease, a failure of microglia — the…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) engage in significantly more sedentary behaviors — activities like watching TV or using a computer or smartphone versus those requiring physical movement, such as exercise — than do individuals without the progressive disease, according to a pooled analysis of published studies. This effect was…

A novel therapy in which neural stem cells are injected into the brain was well tolerated by 15 people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in a pilot clinical trial. Participants’ disability levels and cognition, as well as markers of inflammation and nerve damage, all remained stable for up…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who discontinue a disease-modifying treatment are more likely to have greater long-term disability than patients who continue with such therapies or go untreated, a registry database study reports. Findings also suggest that patients who self-report better mobility early in their disease course also…

About three-quarters of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given an under-the-skin formulation of cladribine had no disease activity or didn’t receive any additional therapies 4.5 years after starting treatment, a study shows. Cladribine is the active ingredient in the oral therapy Mavenclad and is typically given in two short treatment…

Certain clinical attributes of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), such as safety and the medication’s impact on risk of relapse and disability progression, are considered important by healthcare providers in selecting the appropriate treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new survey study. However, a study experiment also…

Extending Tysabri (natalizumab) dosing intervals based on the drug’s blood levels was as effective at controlling disease activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as the approved four-week dosing regimen. That’s according to results from NEXT-MS (NCT04225312), a Phase 4 clinical trial studying whether tailoring Tysabri’s…

The Patent and Trademark Office intends to grant a U.S. patent covering all dosing regimens of vidofludimus calcium — being developed as IMU-838 — for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). That includes the doses being used in developer Immunic Therapeutics’ ongoing clinical program, according to a…

Pixyl.Neuro, a next-generation software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) in analyzing MRI scans to help detect and monitor multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use. 510(k) clearance is required for medical devices used in the…

Women who smoked during pregnancy, and their offspring, showed a significantly higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in a recent Danish study. “Our observations add further to the evidence implicating smoking in the development of MS and suggest that intra-uterine exposure to tobacco smoke may increase MS risk,”…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) again has certified Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute’s Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Related Diseases at Hackensack University Medical Center as a multiple sclerosis (MS) comprehensive care center. In addition to meeting the NMSS’ core requirements, the certification’s renewal also recognizes…

Nearly two years of treatment with Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) significantly reduced relapse rates by more than 80% in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to the final published details of the EVOLVE-MS-1 clinical trial. MRI scans also showed the number of active inflammatory lesions and new…

InSilicoTrials (IST) has received this year’s Innovation Radar Prize for its efforts to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to advance clinical trials and predictive technologies that may benefit people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. Launched in 2015 by the European Commission, the award recognizes European Union (EU)-funded…

iConquerMS, a research initiative where people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) contribute their health data and ideas, is expanding its research program to include caregivers of people with MS. Established in 2014 by the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP), iConquerMS has launched a new website and research…

Infection with a herpes virus known as HHV-6A is associated with significantly higher levels of the nerve damage biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the years leading up to multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. “In blood samples from individuals who later developed MS, we could see that antibodies…

Supplementation with coconut oil and the green tea component epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) significantly reduces the levels of fatty molecules called triglycerides in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a pilot study from Spain. This reduction may complement improvements in functional capacity that have been reported previously following…

COVID-19 doesn’t appear to increase the likelihood of a relapse, where new symptoms suddenly appear or existing ones worsen, for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a meta-analysis of more than a dozen studies. The findings alleviate some of the concerns MS patients may have about developing COVID-19,…

A commercial probiotic supplement containing the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii significantly eased pain and fatigue, and improved mental health and quality of life, in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from a clinical trial in Iran. The probiotic, BioDigest, also reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, a form…

Measuring the amount of specific antibody clumps in the blood helped distinguish people with multiple sclerosis (MS) from healthy individuals and people with other conditions with an accuracy of at least 90%, a new study has found. The findings show that clumps of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies — which…

A noninvasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can significantly improve walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a pooled analysis of published studies. The technique was effective when applied to the main brain region called the primary motor cortex, which is involved…

Using a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to prevent the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly likely to be cost-effective, especially when given in early adolescence, according to an Australian modeling study. “The evidence from this study highlights the urgent need for the development of an EBV…

Adhering to a low-fat diet for three months was found to significantly ease fatigue among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a pilot clinical trial. The diet, which restricted total fat intake to less than 20% of calories per day, had a good adherence. Unlike other…

Central neuropathic pain — the kind resulting from damage to the brain and spinal cord — appears to be more severe and widespread and to cause more emotional burden in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than pain in muscles and joints, according to a recent study. Regardless of pain…

A test called Elecsys NfL  — developed by Roche to measure blood levels of the nerve damage biomarker neurofilament light chain (NfL) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — has received breakthrough device designation in the U.S. That status, granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),…

ChariotMS, the world’s first clinical trial to test whether Mavenclad (cladribine) can slow the worsening of upper limb function in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), has now enrolled 100 participants. The announcement means the Phase 2 trial (NCT04695080) has reached 50% of its target recruitment goal.

Levels of proteins in the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), can help predict disease activity and disability worsening for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. “We identified several promising protein biomarkers which could be used to predict short-term activity…

ATA188, an experimental cell therapy targeting the Epstein-Barr virus, failed to outperform a placebo at easing disability levels in people with nonactive progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from the Phase 2 portion of the EMBOLD clinical trial. The medication also showed no signs of…

The Swank and Wahls diets — two dietary strategies often adopted by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — were similarly effective at easing functional disability after six months among people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to data from a small clinical trial. These functional gains were mostly driven…

A Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating LPX-TI641, Lapix Therapeutics‘ experimental therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, has dosed its first participants. The first-in-human trial (NCT05853835) of healthy adult volunteers follows the recent clearance of an investigational new drug application by the U.S. Food…