News

A protein called Daam2 helps to regulate the activity of cells in the brain that make myelin, the fatty covering around nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. By uncovering how that protein functions in the brain to boost myelin repair, researchers have discovered…

An anti-inflammatory diet combined with synbiotic supplements eased fatigue, pain, sexual dysfunction, and bladder and bowel problems in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial. Synbiotics contain probiotics, healthy bacteria for the gut, and prebiotics, or plant fibers that feed probiotics and help…

Bowel symptoms go largely unreported among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), mostly due to the unwillingness of patients to talk about their symptoms with their doctors, according to a recent study. However, a self-reported questionnaire called Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction (NBD) may help screen patients for bowel symptoms without the…

An energy management education program combined with high-intensity exercise during a three-week inpatient rehabilitation program didn’t lead to quality of life gains for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue over usual care, but it did offer some benefit. In the months after the program, better cardiorespiratory fitness, gains in…

A test that assesses the levels of 18 proteins in the blood and uses artificial intelligence algorithms can help to measure the level of new disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The test, developed by …

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be funded in New Zealand for treating certain people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) about six years after being approved there. The decision from the Pharmaceutical Management Agency (Pharmac), which decides what medicines are funded in New Zealand and to what extent, makes Ocrevus…

Total Teen Burger purchases netted $1.6 million for MS Canada on A&W Canada’s 15th Annual Burgers to Beat MS Day. Proceeds from the Aug. 17 fundraiser, wherein A&W donated $2 from each burger sold, brings to more than $20 million the amount the initiative has brought…

Four researchers working in multiple sclerosis (MS) were awarded incubator grants in MS Australia’s latest funding round, which they’ll use to kickstart projects designed to better understand the progressive neurodegenerative disease. Worth a total of AU$92,565, or roughly $60,000, this round of incubator grants provides seed funding…

Noting that Aubagio (teriflunomide) continues to have “a robust impact on disability progression” in multiple sclerosis (MS) despite being eclipsed by newer MS treatments in trials, an international team of researchers are now arguing that it is, in fact, still ethical to use the older therapy as a…

Octave Bioscience was selected as a finalist in this year’s Innovation by Design Awards in recognition of the platform it created to improve the care of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Organized by the media brand Fast Company, the awards are touted as some of the most sought-after…

A course of neuromuscular electrical stimulation using Neufit‘s neuro-bio-electric stimulator — a device dubbed Neubie — alongside physical therapy (PT) led to improvements in strength and range of motion for seven people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a case series. Use of the Neubie device and PT…

Nura Bio has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating NB-4746, its investigational treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and several other neurological conditions, in healthy volunteers. The trial’s participants will be randomly assigned to receive single and multiple doses of NB-4746 or a placebo. The goal is to…

A new system that can use MRI scans to effectively measure myelin content in brain tissue may help assess the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and evaluate the effectiveness of treatments. The technique was described in “Quantitative magnetic resonance mapping of the myelin bilayer,” which…

Cionic’s Neural Sleeve, a leg-worn garment designed to boost strength and walking performance in people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), has won multiple awards in this year’s International Design Excellence Awards program. The event, organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), is touted as one of…

Diagnosing primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) can be challenging, with obstacles ranging from ruling out other disorders to differentiating between PPMS and other types of multiple sclerosis (MS). These difficulties were highlighted in the study, “Real-world challenges in the diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis,” published…

The presence of lesions, or regions of damage, in a brain circuit tied to memory in stroke patients also associate with memory problems in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Findings may help to determine which lesions are likely to cause memory issues in people with the neurodegenerative condition,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tyruko (natalizumab-sztn) as the first biosimilar of Tysabri to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision also marks the first approval of any biosimilar for MS in the country, according to the regulatory agency.

Treatment with polysialic acid, a sugar molecule naturally made in the body, may be a promising approach to boost myelin repair in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study in lab-grown brain samples. Findings show that the molecule increased myelin repair, or remyelination, in the cell…

A day of golfing is in store for those who want to support Johns Hopkins Hospital’s efforts on behalf of research for multiple sclerosis (MS) and to raise awareness about the progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The #spreadingORANGE event will aid the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis Center along with MS…

ASH41020, an investigational therapy from Ashvattha Therapeutics, significantly reduced disease severity and exhibited immunomodulatory properties in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent presentation. Evidence indicated the therapy works by shifting the balance of immune cells called macrophages toward a less inflammatory and more…

Aubagio (teriflunomide) can significantly reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) among adults with signs of MS-like brain damage who don’t yet have any disease symptoms, according to findings from a clinical trial. The results were presented earlier this year at the American Academy of Neurology…

Children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) early on are significantly less likely to experience a relapse than those given a less efficacious drug, a real-world study found. While most patients on moderate-efficacy therapies eventually switched to a more effective one, a…

Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may offer promise for treating spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS), but more work is needed to identify the best approach to use for patients, according to a new review study. The studies under review generally indicated that a type of brain stimulation called repetitive…

Older age and greater physical disability when starting a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) were linked to worse cognitive function for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, but cognition remained relatively stable over the next several years, according to a Swedish study. Due to the high rates of DMT switches and…

Researchers have shed new light on the molecular mechanisms that help immune cells get into the brain to drive inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS). Two proteins called MMP-9 and MMP-2 were found to break down some components of the barrier that keeps immune cells out of the brain, helping…

A global Phase 2 clinical trial investigating the oral therapy vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) has reached full enrollment, the treatment’s developer, Immunic Therapeutics, reports. Called CALLIPER (NCT05054140), the trial is assessing whether the neuroprotective effects of vidofludimus calcium seen in…

Levels of GFAP protein in the blood — a marker of damage to support cells in the brain — were associated with the enlargement of brain lesions and of fluid-filled brain cavities called ventricles in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) undergoing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment, a study showed. While…

Atara Biotherapeutics now is planning to announce in November the one-year data from its EMBOLD Phase 1/2 study, which is testing the company’s experimental treatment ATA188 for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The results, originally expected in October, will cover the trial’s primary endpoint of…

Disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) significantly reduces their quality of life, affects their ability to work, and represents a major socioeconomic cost, according to real-world data collected from a German MS registry. These results suggest that the use of disease-modifying therapies to slow MS progression…

People who experience a first attack of multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease are less likely to experience long-term disability progression if they start  treatment within the first few months, a new study reports. “When it comes to MS treatment, the earlier the better,” Alvaro Cobo-Calvo, MD, PhD, co-author of the…