News

Through its Stop MS Appeal campaign, the United Kingdom’s MS Society seeks to raise £100 million (almost $125 million) within the next decade to advance research and treatments that will stop multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Over the next three months, the organization will run an extensive advertising campaign…

Blocking production of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) — involved in inflammatory and immune responses — specifically in myelin repair cells halts neuroinflammation and promotes myelin repair, a preclinical study shows. These results, from two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), shed light on the underlying mechanisms…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S. are three times more likely to have mental or behavioral health issues, including depression and substance abuse (substance use disorder), than the general population, a report based on commercial insurance claims by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) found. All…

The U.S. Supreme Court gave a green light to generic versions of Ampyra this week, declining to hear Acorda Therapeutics‘ appeal of a lower court ruling that allowed generics of its treatment for walking or gait problems in multiple sclerosis. That lower court ruling came from the U.S. District Court…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has awarded a grant to Kessler Foundation researchers, supporting a pilot study into how well different low-risk exercise regimens ease multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and improve patients’ well-being. The grant recipients are John DeLuca, PhD, senior vice president for…

Targeting the chemokine receptor CXCR6, a protein at the surface of a certain group of T helper cells, prevented the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease, a study reports. Its findings suggest that antibodies targeting T helper cells — known drivers of MS —…

Scientists observed for the first time the molecular structure of the P2X 7 receptor, a protein that plays a key role in cell death, inflammation, and cancer progression. This breakthrough could lead to new ways of treating multiple sclerosis (MS), coronary artery disease, cancer, and inflammation. The findings…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who don’t use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are more likely to have been misdiagnosed previously, and to have poorer relationships with their healthcare providers, the results of a new survey suggest. The survey, titled “Multiple Sclerosis In America 2019,” was conducted by …

Testing cognitive abilities — like learning and memory, processing speed, and verbal fluency — can give valuable clues as to how well people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are able to go about their daily lives, according to a review study led by Kessler Foundation researchers. Neuropsychological tests are of “significant predictive…

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a three-part report examining the question, “Is rituximab a reasonable alternative treatment for MS?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth look…

Editor’s note: This is the second story in a three-part report examining the question, “Is rituximab a reasonable alternative treatment for MS?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth look…

Editor’s note: This is the first story in a three-part report examining the question, “Is rituximab a reasonable alternative treatment for MS?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we provide a synopsis of…

Bladder and bowel problems, such as constipation and fecal incontinence, are associated with a higher level of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in Australia. The findings also showed that greater fatigue and experiencing bowel and bladder problems are associated with…

Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) eased flare-up symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experiencing relapses, top-line data from an observational registry study shows. Acthar Gel, a medication developed and marketed by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, is a compound that enhances the production of steroids in the…

Careful profiling of inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of multiple sclerosis patients, coupled with standard exams and scans, helps in understanding disease evolution and treatment response, a case report suggests. It followed a relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patient whose inflammatory markers in the CSF remained high over time, and…

A protein known as nuclear factor I-A (NFIA) is key for spinal cord repair and timely remyelination by astrocytes — the most abundant cells in the brain and first responders to sites of injury, findings in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) suggest. In brain lesions, NFIA is…

FeetMe, a medical device company dedicated to the development of devices and digital health services to improve patients’ mobility, has raised €9.4 million ($10.25 million) in Series A funding to boost the commercialization of its innovative technology for clinical trials and regular clinical practice in hospitals and…

A new large-scale genetic map implicates broad immune system dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests a key role of brain immune cells called microglia, and indicates an MS-related gene variant located in the X chromosome. Altogether, the findings — the result of the largest reported study…

A specific type of immune cell in a particular activation state is linked to such immune diseases as multiple sclerosis (MS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a collaborative research study found. Disease-associated genetic variants — changes in DNA sequences or mutations in genes — can affect the response of immune…

Mollii, an electrostimulation suit, can help reduce muscle stiffness, or spasticity, and its associated pain, as well as improve muscle activation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy, stroke, and other neurological injuries, according to Inerventions, the Swedish company that developed and markets it. With a few hours…

ExeGi Pharma announced a new clinical trial testing its probiotic Visbiome in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study will further evaluate whether changing bacteria in the gut could be therapeutically beneficial in MS. The human body hosts millions upon millions of bacterial guests, the majority of which…

Memorial Healthcare Institute for Neurosciences and Multiple Sclerosis announced it will become the first U.S. hospital to test a nerve cell-derived component known as neurofilament light chain (NfL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Led by the Owosso, Michigan, hospital’s chief of neurology and MS director, Rany Aburashed, DO,…

A new app might make it easier for healthcare providers to assess cognitive function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The app was described in the study, “iCAMS: Assessing the Reliability of a BICAMS Tablet Application,” published in the International Journal of MS…

The volume of atrophied (shrunken) regions in the brain, as visible through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, can predict disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research reveals. The finding was published in the journal Radiology in an article titled, “Atrophied Brain T2 Lesion Volume…

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a three-part report examining the question “Should vitamin D supplements be recommended for MS patients?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth…

Editor’s note: This is the second story in a three-part report examining experts’ answers to the question “Should vitamin D supplements be recommended for MS patients?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth…

Editor’s note: This is the first story in a three-part report examining the question “Should vitamin D supplements be recommended for MS patients?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we provide a synopsis…

Leading up to Canada’s Oct. 21 federal election, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is urging citizens to write their local candidates, asking for greater support of those living with the neurodegenerative disorder. Called #MakeMSMatter, the Sept. 4 through Oct. 21 online letter-writing drive is an effort to…

If necessary, women with relapsing multiple sclerosis can continue treatments based on interferon beta while pregnant and breastfeeding, according to an updated recommendation by an office of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Interferon beta-based treatments are a mainstay of approved MS therapies. Three specific treatments were mentioned in press…

EMD Serono (Merck KGaA in Germany) is opening two pivotal and global Phase 3 clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral evobrutinib in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Evobrutinib, also known as M2951, works by blocking a protein called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), which is…