March 3, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: TG aims to make Briumvi accessible to patients Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) recently became the third anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). TG Therapeutics, the therapy’s developer, is now aiming to make Briumvi the most accessible therapy in its…
March 3, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: Ibudilast did not lift life quality in progressive MS trial Treatment with the experimental oral therapy ibudilast (MN-166) does not significantly improve quality-of-life measures compared with a placebo among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Analyses from the trial suggest that a marker of nerve damage…
March 3, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: High-dose vitamin D doesn’t reduce MS activity: Trial Taking high-dose vitamin D supplements as an add-on to standard MS treatment doesn’t reduce the risk of inflammatory disease activity for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from a clinical trial. The findings “suggest that prescribing higher doses of vitamin D for purposes of…
March 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: Certain eye cells tied to MS-related changes in study Certain cells in the eyes ā specifically blood vessel cells and a type of neurological immune cell called microglia ā exhibit high expression or activity of genes that have been linked to multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports.Ā The researchers also “identified…
March 2, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Documentary offers hope for the Black MS community Multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been considered a disease that mostly affects white women. But in the U.S., the numbers indicate that Black people, particularly Black women, may be more likely to develop the neurodegenerative disease than people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. For Black individuals, this misunderstanding…
March 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: Most on Briumvi show no MS activity after 6 months More than half of the people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who received Briumvi (ublituximab) in the ULTIMATE clinical trials had no signs of disease activity over the first six months of the trial ā and over 80% of participants had no disease activity for the…
March 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: HIV-positive people found to be less likely to develop MS People infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ā including HIV-positive individuals who received antiretroviral treatment at some point after infection ā are significantly less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), a new analysis suggests.Ā The decrease in MS risk was particularly pronounced…
March 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: MS clinical research lacks diversity, representation Nonwhite populations are underrepresented in research that tests therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), meaning most available data on a treatment’s effectiveness and safety can’t be generalized to all patients. “The absence of diversity in MS research is a problem that concerns us all,” said LĆ©orah Freeman, MD, PhD, a…
March 1, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: CNM-Au8 bound for Phase 3 testing after positive data Treatment with the experimental oral suspension therapy CNM-Au8 led to improvements in measures of vision, cognitive and motor function, and brain health for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from the proof-of-concept VISIONARY-MS trial. Bolstered by these positive results,Ā Clene Nanomedicine is planning to launch a…
February 28, 2023 News by Mary Chapman Personal stories of life with MS highlight March awareness month From participating in educational programs to sharing stories that illuminate the multiple sclerosis (MS) experience, people nationwide are poised to participate in MS Awareness Month, observed each March. Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week starts on March 12. The disorder, thought to affect about one million U.S. residents, can cause…
February 28, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Astrocyte receptors may help to ease MS cognitive issues Activating certain receptors on astrocytes ā a type of nerve support cell ā may offer a way of treating cognitive problems in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. MS mouse models genetically engineered to lack these receptors, called TNFR2, showed signs of greater cognitive problems, whereas cognitive gains…
February 28, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Intermittent fasting shows potential to lessen MS severity Limiting calorie intake over two days of each week for three months led to beneficial immune and metabolic changes, as well as improvements in cognitive function, among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study found. A restrictive diet also promoted a better body composition, namely a reduction in…
February 27, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Loss of myelin in spinal cord tied to MS disability A greater loss of myelin ā the protective coating around nerve fibers ā in the part of the spinal cord found in the neck was associated with worse disability in people with multiple sclerosis, data from a new study showed. More substantial myelin loss in this region, known…
February 27, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: Should EBV be targeted in MS? Experts debate. A history of infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been shown to be a strong risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) ā but is targeting the virus a viable strategy for MS prevention or treatment? This question was the subject of a debate, “How To…
February 27, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: ‘Bacteria X’ in gut microbiome may drive inflammation A certain bacterial species is enriched in the gut of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) and may promote neuroinflammation and drive disability progression in these patients, a study found. When isolated from SPMS patients and given to a mouse model, this strain led to more pronounced neurological…
February 24, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Anxiety, depression more common in MS before onset Psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety are more common among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the five years leading up to disease onset than in people from the general population, according to a recent analysis. Individuals who would later go on to develop clinical signs of MS also…
February 24, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: Portable MRI device able to detect brain lesions in MS A portable MRI device may be used to detect brain lesions that are indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS), and serve as a low-cost imaging tool that can be brought to patients for testing, according to a new analysis. While the system is not yet accurate enough to be used…
February 24, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: Medication, talk therapy both ease MS-related fatigue Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of talk therapy, and medication given separately or in combination can ease fatigue significantly for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new data from a clinical trial. The effect on fatigue was comparable for talk therapy, medication, or the combination in validated…
February 23, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Mitochondria changes found early on in progressive MS: Mouse study Changes in mitochondria ā cells’ energy production centers ā are evident in early disease stages in a mouse model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), but were not found in a model of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to researchers. These changes, seen before symptoms of the disease started, were…
February 23, 2023 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Evobrutinib safely keeps relapse rates low after 4 years Evobrutinib, an experimental BTK inhibitor being developed for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), continues to be well tolerated and is showing low relapse rates after four years of treatment. That’s according to new data spanning a Phase 2 trial (NCT02975349) that tested evobrutinib against…
February 22, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Receptor may link gut microbiome to immune system in MS: Study The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) may facilitate or “tune” the crosstalk between the gut microbiome and the immune responses that have been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. Deleting this receptor in a set of immune T-cells ā a suspected factor in MS onset and progression…
February 22, 2023 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Intermittent fasting for 8 weeks shows benefits in MS in pilot study An eight-week intermittent fasting intervention for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) led to significant improvements in cognition and manual dexterity for these patients, who also tended to have lower fatigue and pain scores at the program’s end, an exploratory study showed.
February 21, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD High salt disrupts anti-inflammatory immune cells’ energy production Eating too much salt can disrupt the energy metabolism of regulatory T-cells (Tregs), which normally work to control inflammation and fight autoimmunity, prompting them to adopt an inflammatory profile similar to what’s seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, a study found. Even a short-term exposure to…
February 21, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Phase 2 trial to determine if low-dose ketamine eases MS fatigue A Phase 2 clinical trial evaluatingĀ whether a low dose of ketamine can ease fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is enrolling patients at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The study, called INKLING-MS (NCT05378100), is recruiting up to 110 patients, ages 18-65,Ā who have been complaining of fatigue as…
February 20, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Forum opens Thursday with theme of ‘going viral’ The multiple sclerosis (MS) community is gearing up for the eighth annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, taking place this week both virtually and in San Diego, California. The yearly meeting, occurring Feb. 23-25 at theĀ Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, is bringing together…
February 20, 2023 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Lawrence Steinman honored for research on ties between EBV, MS Lawrence Steinman, MD, a professor of neurology who is leading the development of Pasithea Therapeutics‘ PAS002 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has received the 2023 Pioneer in Medicine Award. The prize is given by the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics (SBMT) and the World Brain…
February 17, 2023 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS CerraCap invests in Predicta Med’s autoimmune disease platform The startup company Predicta Med has received an investment from CerraCap Ventures to advance its leading platform focused on early diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-related diseases. The Israel-based startup has created the world’s first platform designed to use medical information to determine…
February 17, 2023 News by Mary Chapman Helius provides PoNS device training to physical therapists Helius Medical Technologies will showcase its noninvasive Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) device and provide training to physical therapists who are interested in using the device for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The company will explain the benefits of PoNS…
February 16, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Omega-3 fatty acid reduced disease severity in MS mouse model Treatment with docosahexaenoyl ethanolamide (DHEA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, reduced inflammation and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). These findings suggest that “an increase of omega-3 consumption may be beneficial to patients diagnosed with MS,” researchers said. “We believe our findings…
February 16, 2023 News by Mary Chapman U of Manitoba researcher wins Barancik Prize for MS research University of Manitoba neurologist and investigator Ruth Ann Marrie has won the National Multiple Sclerosis Society‘s (NMSS) Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for her landmark discoveries in multiple sclerosis (MS). Now in its 10th year, the prize recognizes and promotes innovation and originality in MS-related…