News

From celebrating artists’ works to sharing stories that bring to life the experience of multiple sclerosis (MS), Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month is designed to call attention to this neurodegenerative disorder and the nearly 1 million U.S. residents it’s thought to affect. MS can cause a host of physical…

A faster rate of atrophy in the spinal cord of people in earlier stages of multiple sclerosis (MS) is likely to indicate “silent progression” — worsening disability in the absence of relapses — and a swifter conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), new data show. Antje Bischof, MD, with…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are treated with Mavenclad (cladribine) are less likely to experience a disease relapse than those who are treated with Gilenya (fingolimod), Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), or Aubagio (teriflunomide), according to an analysis of real-world data. The findings were presented at the Americas Committee…

Iron rim lesions, or specific regions of chronic inflammation seen on MRI scans of the brain, are associated with greater disability and poorer outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. These findings “could support the use of iron rim lesions as an imaging biomarker for disease severity and…

Researchers developed a new mouse model that more closely captures a specific type of inflammation characteristic of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) — and found, in experiments, that treatment with an oral medication called evobrutinib can lessen disease activity. This new mouse model may help scientists in MS to better study…

Undergoing a stem cell transplant, a procedure that aims to “reset” a person’s immune system, can reduce relapse rates and ease disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. The findings suggest that such a transplant — fully, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or aHSCT — is…

A matrix protein called fibulin-2, which is increased in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, blocks the activity of oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for making myelin. Blocking this protein may be a promising approach to restore myelin in people with the neurodegenerative disease, a study in mice showed. The data was…

Paramagnetic rim lesions, a specific form of inflammatory damage to the brain, are rarely found in people with disorders other than multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in adults with suspected MS. Its findings suggest that looking at PRLs could be useful for diagnosing the disease. Brain Renner,…

Machine learning — using computer algorithms — can be used to identify people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) who are more likely to respond to treatment, a new study shows. The ability to predict treatment response could allow clinical trials to be designed more efficiently, researchers said. Jean-Pierre…

  Synaptogenix announced plans to advance bryostatin-1, its lead candidate, into clinical trials for multiple sclerosis (MS), marking the third neurological disease the small molecule therapy is being developed to potentially treat. “Multiple sclerosis joins Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”) and Fragile X syndrome as our third indication with potential clinical…

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can be used to predict the risk of future disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The results also suggest that changes in NfL levels could be used to deduce the extent…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who experience reductions in spasticity after a four-week course of inpatient rehabilitation can sustain those improvements in the long term using an app-based self-training program, according to data from a clinical trial. The app also led to better adherence to the self-training program than…

There has been a marked increase in the amount of research done regarding women’s health in multiple sclerosis (MS) over the last decade or two, but there remain substantial gaps in scientific knowledge, especially for topics outside of pregnancy, according to a scoping review. “Future studies are needed that…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments belonging to the class of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators — such as Mayzent (siponimod) and Gilenya (fingolimod) — may be associated with a greater likelihood of skin cancer, results from a real-world study suggest. The association was the greatest for a form of…

The psychological distress of a parent whose child is found to have multiple sclerosis (MS) may directly impact the quality of life of the child. That’s according to a new study that revealed a worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in MS children after their diagnosis. These findings support…

Myelin is required for certain inhibitory neurons — which help to suppress abnormal activity in the brain — to work as they should, according to a study in mouse models. Loss of myelin on these neurons results in excessive electric activity in other nerve cells, likely disrupting the brain’s ability…

An increased production of CD25 – an immune receptor that regulates T-cell proliferation and activation – is the most noticeable blood cell immune alteration in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with their unaffected identical twins, a study discovered. The increased CD25 levels, which correlated with disease severity, were…

A researcher at the University of Adelaide, in Australia, has received an AU$390,000 grant (about $280,000) to investigate how inflammatory T-cells reach the blood and brain of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The 3-year fellowship grant was awarded to Iain Comerford, PhD, for his project, titled “Stopping T cells…

Lower-than-normal volumes of certain brain regions at disease onset — indicating shrinkage, or atrophy, in those regions — are significantly associated with current and future fatigue severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Germany shows. Some of these regions also were found to be central brain…

A neurology professor at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) has received the 2021 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work in understanding how the immune system causes multiple sclerosis (MS). The international $100,000 prize, administered by the National MS Society, was awarded to Amit…

The MS Society of the U.K. intends to raise over £1.1 million (about $1.5 million) to support nine multiple sclerosis (MS) research projects, marking the return of the grants program it put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will support research in the…

Therapeutics designed to produce new oligodendrocytes — the cells responsible for the protective myelin sheath that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) — might be the most effective approach for disorders such as MS, according to a study conducted in a fish model. That’s because oligodendrocytes that survive being…

The addition of neurodynamic therapy — a type of manual therapy targeting the nerves — to a standard treatment regimen using several different approaches reduced pain sensitivity and improved dexterity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a clinical trial. “To the best of our…

VISIONARY-MS, a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of CNM-Au8 in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) with disease-related visual impairment, will conclude early due to COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges. The release of trial data is expected in the second half of this year, according to…

The label of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) — an approved therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) — has been updated in Europe to no longer contain a warning against its use during breastfeeding. The label update follows a review by European Union health authorities of non-clinical and clinical evidence submitted…

Getting more physical activity and having effective ways of coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) could help to ease anxiety in patients, a review study suggests. “The findings of this review highlight links between anxiety in MS and a number of diverse factors, all of which are amenable to change,”…

Molecular “traps” made by neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, to fight bacteria may contribute to the excessive inflammatory activity of T-helper 17 immune T-cells, which are known to play a role in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Neutrophils are equipped with a number of biochemical tools…

Treatment with an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) seems to reboot the immune system in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients for at least three years, a small study found. The study, “Sustained immunotolerance in multiple sclerosis after stem cell transplant,” was published in Annals of Clinical and…

Almost half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show reduced bone density (osteopenia) and about 17% have osteoporosis, a progressive disease characterized by weak bones that are prone to fractures, a review study of data covering almost 14,000 patients reported. These findings suggest that people with MS should be monitored…

Eating a lot of green leafy and other vegetables, beans, nuts and berries seems to significantly lower the likelihood of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study from Iran. The findings also suggest that the chances of developing the disease may be higher in people who eat more…