News

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is celebrating 50 years of work and dedication to improving the lives of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Some changes are underway and initiatives being launched to commemorate this milestone. MSAA, a nonprofit organization founded in 1970, aims to provide…

EyeStat, a portable device to measure blink reflex, has been cleared for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On the heels of promising results for assessing brain injury, the manufacturer, Blinktbi, plans to test if the device can be used for the early detection…

Harvard professor and scientist Francisco Quintana, PhD, has been awarded the 2019 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work in understanding what causes multiple sclerosis (MS), and how to stop its development. Quintana has developed innovative research programs that use cutting-edge technology to help…

Kevin Schaefer hadn’t been in an airport since he was 4 years old, so he had been looking forward to flying from his home in Cary, North Carolina, to Anaheim, California, in June for the 2019 Cure SMA Conference. As it turned out, his experience didn’t go as expected.

Interaction between various Epstein-Barr virus traits and the composition of certain genes affects the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. The study, “The interaction of Multiple Sclerosis risk loci with Epstein-Barr virus phenotypes implicates the virus in pathogenesis,” was published in the journal…

Age, gender, disease subtype, degree of disability, and more factors affect lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Also, the epidemiology of LUTS must be better understood and promptly detected and treated to improve patients’ quality of life. Those findings are detailed in a new study, “…

Caring for children with multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect the mental health of their mothers over the long term, a study has found. The study, “Increased mental health care use by mothers of children with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Neurology. People with…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to allow Myeliviz, an imaging agent of myelin — the protective layer that covers nerve fibers and is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) — to be evaluated in a clinical trial with healthy volunteers. Myeliviz, created by Case Western Reserve University researchers, has the potential…

Nerve impulses travel in a “dual cable” with myelin, playing additional roles to what was previously thought, new research has found. This discovery advances human knowledge of how brain connections work, and may help scientists understand more accurately what happens when myelin is lost — which is what occurs…

A psychologist at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne has been awarded an incubator grant by MS Research Australia to identify ways to better detect and treat depression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The grant given to Lisa Grech, PhD, with the School of Health Sciences at Swinburne, is…

People living close to major roads or highways are at a greater risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a database study of people in metropolitan Vancouver reports. Parks and other green spaces in urban areas that might lower exposure to air pollutants did not affect a person’s overall risk of developing MS,…

The National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) in the U.K. issued its final decision, approving the inclusion of Plegridy (peginterferon beta-1a) to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in England within the National Health Service (NHS). This decision follows a cost-effectiveness review done in May 2018,…

Genetic variations that increase body mass index (BMI) in childhood are associated with a higher risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) regardless of a person’s vitamin D levels, a study found. The study, “BMI and low vitamin D are causal factors for multiple sclerosis,” was published in…

Mayzent (siponimod), an approved oral therapy for active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), promotes a more regulatory immune system, which may explain its added benefits for SPMS, new clinical data show. The study “Siponimod enriches regulatory T and B lymphocytes in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis” was published in the…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who complete training through a method called the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT) show a decrease in brain activity after training, which could indicate more efficient brain processing, a recent study shows. The study, “Brain activation patterns associated with paragraph…

Early research in animal models and human samples reveals how loss of communication between nerve cells contributes to the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and shows how gene therapy could be used to preserve such connections and protect against vision loss. Researchers say their work identifies a…

Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) 20 years ago, Kathy Miska’s ability to walk has steadily worsened, especially in recent years. As a participant of a pilot study at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, however, she is cheered by the effect of…

A new study has found a link between the amount of fat in the blood and changes to the arteries surrounding the necks and skulls of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The finding was described in the study “Lipoprotein(a) Levels Are Associated with the…

The European Commission has approved Novartis‘s Mayzent (siponimod) as the first oral treatment for adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Active SPMS is defined by the presence of evident relapses or the detection of inflammatory activity in brain lesions on imaging scans. “As the only indicated oral therapy proven for…

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent to Endonovo Therapeutics for Application No. 15/549,748, which covers the company’s technique and device for electromagnetic treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Endonovo has a pipeline of “Electroceuticals” — wearable, electronic, non-invasive therapeutic devices. These devices…

MedRhythms is planning to soon open a pilot clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of its MR-004, its investigational product that uses rhythmic sounds to improve walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The randomized and controlled trial, fully support by a grant…

An ability to speak more than one language may help to protect people with multiple sclerosis (MS) against the cognitive decline caused by the disease, new research suggests. The study, “Multiple sclerosis and bilingualism: Some initial findings,” showed that MS patients who speak two languages (bilingual speakers)…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) named four scientists the winners of its Pilot Research Award for 2019, given to support projects thought to advance the CMSC’s mission and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The awards, supported by EMD Serono (known as Merck…

BioMed X announced a new collaboration with Merck to create a joint research group to investigate the role of the intestinal epithelial barrier in the development and progression of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The intestinal epithelial barrier is a physical border between the gut and the rest…

Magenta Therapeutics will continue to advance its investigational conditioning therapy CD45-ADC for patients with autoimmune diseases undergoing stem cell transplants, the company highlighted in a progress report. CD45-ADC is a therapy designed to remove disease-causing immune cells in a safer way when preparing patients for a stem…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has been approved in Scotland as a treatment for early, inflammatory primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has advised that Ocrevus can be prescribed by the National Health Service (NHS) for people with PPMS who have had symptoms for less than 15…

A risk of multiple sclerosis rises in people with specific variations in a protein, called the vitamin D receptor, that affects how this vitamin works and is metabolized in the body, a study drawn from a meta-analysis reports. Its researchers suggest these variations, or changes…

The high cost of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS), and the challenging process of insurance approval, lead to treatment gaps or alterations, increased symptoms, and sacrifices in lifestyle, a survey from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) shows. “People with MS are paying the price, not…

Blocking a protein called PAR1 may enhance the regeneration of myelin, the protective fatty layer that covers nerve fibers and is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a mouse study shows. Therapeutic targeting of PAR1 may promote remyelination and delay MS progression, according to the study, “Blocking the Thrombin Receptor…

Recovering well after a first relapse and starting a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) immediately afterward considerably increases the likelihood of slowing progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. Its findings support relapse recovery as a critical factor for DMT initiation, and one that should be assessed routinely in MS…