News

Trials testing new immunotherapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) should focus more on patients’ experiences and on symptoms relevant for them such as fatigue, depression, and cognitive difficulties, a German working group recommends. According to the team, which is working on developing new standards for planning MS trials, clinical…

Effective money management, critical to independent living, is particularly  difficult for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) affects executive thinking skills and who struggle with depression and anxiety, a study reports. The study, “Money Management in Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Cognitive, Motor, and Affective Factors,” was published in the…

Many multiple sclerosis (MS) patients consider autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) potentially effective in treating their disease, but most report needing more — and more reliable — information to make a reasoned decision regarding its benefits and risks, a survey found. Those who are dissatisfied with their current…

Pear Therapeutics announced that a first patient is being treated in Part 2 of its feasibility trial of Pear-006, a software application that, given along with a disease-modifying therapy, delivers cognitive behavioral therapy and other neurobehavioral approaches to ease depression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Pear-006, being developed…

Measuring the speed of signals sent to the brain by nerves in the eye could help assess if remyelination is taking place, a study in cats suggests. Such measurements could be useful in evaluating multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments aiming to repair myelin in clinical trials — of particular interest…

For its promising investigational therapeutic approach to neurodegenerative diseases, including progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics is the Buzz of BIO 2020 winner in the Public Therapeutic Biotech category. The Buzz of BIO contest identifies U.S. companies with groundbreaking, early-stage potential to improve lives. The…

A cluster of immune-related genes located in the X chromosome are more active in the X chromosome inherited from the mother than in the one from the father, a new mouse study shows. These findings may help explain why women have higher rates of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple…

A grant awarded recently by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will fund research to explore how brain changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients affect mobility. The five-year grant (1R01NS109023-01A1), totaling $3.5 million, was awarded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of…

Women who breastfeed have a lower rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses in the postpartum period compared to those who do not breastfeed or supplement it with regular formula, an analysis of published studies shows. The findings suggest that breastfeeding protects women from postpartum relapses, but due to the…

Small changes in daily activities, like sitting less and walking more, may be healthful for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) without the challenges of formal exercise. A new study, “Management of multiple sclerosis symptoms through reductions in sedentary behaviour: protocol for a feasibility study,” published in BMJ…

MetP Pharma‘s patent application for a new method to treat demyelinating and neuroinflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), has been approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent, titled “Treatment of Demyelinating Diseases” (U.S. Appl. No. 16/506,830), is valid until 2039,…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) across Canada are a major step closer to having access to EMD Serono’s Mavenclad (cladribine). EMD Serono, known as Merck KGaA outside of North America, has finish negotiations with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) that oversees new drugs coming in,…

Records from the Kid’s Inpatient Database (KID) — the largest database of pediatric patients admitted to hospitals in the U.S. — show that more than twice as many girls as boys were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016. The data shows that 259 boys and 610 girls younger than age 18…

The Government of Alberta is investing CA$1 million into a research project that will follow for years a group of people with multiple sclerosis — with varying disease types and at differing stages — to better understand progression in MS. The province’s contribution brings to more than CA$10 million (about…

Tysabri (natalizumab), an effective T-cell targeting treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), seems to also promote the activation of pro-inflammatory immune B-cells in people with this disease, a study found. The study, “Natalizumab promotes activation and pro-inflammatory differentiation of peripheral B cells in multiple sclerosis patients,” was published in the…

Leadership changes at the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis aim to enhance the nonprofit patient-founded organization’s research focus. Robert McBurney has stepped down as president and CEO after eight years to become ACP’s first chief research officer. He will continue in the position of research lead for the…

Processes related to metabolism in brain cells known as astrocytes may be at the origin of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly underlying the inflammation and damage to the nervous system seen in progressive disease, a study in mice found.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers appear to be just as satisfied with a video evaluation given by a neurologist using telemedicine as they have been with those done through an in-person visit, a review from the American Academy of Neurology reports. The review, “Teleneurology is neurology,”…

Combining data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to better identify patterns that may underlie the cause or causes of multiple sclerosis (MS) is the focus of a novel partnership. Despite numerous advances in MS research and treatments, what causes the disease is still unknown. “Given the complexity…

Atlas Biotechnologies will fund and provide support to three research projects at the University of Alberta to possibly identify cannabis component(s) that could help people with neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The cannabis plant produces hundreds of biological compounds, the best-known being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the psychoactive compound primarily…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved three generic versions of Gilenya (fingolimod) for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). A generic is a nearly identical, lower-priced version of an original brand medication. The three generic applications approved Thursday by the…

A signaling protein (Smad7) that usually blocks the activity of a molecule called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) appears to be overactive in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to the activation and migration of immune cells from the intestine to the central nervous system, a study reports. The study,…

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and Aspen Neuroscience will send three-dimensional brain cell models of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and Parkinson’s disease to the International Space Station (ISS) for the…

TD Bank Group has donated $1 million to the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada to support research projects aiming to use artificial intelligence to create tools enabling better use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. MS Society will channel these funds into its Acts of Greatness campaign,…

When Jon Strum began his “RealTalk MS” podcast two years ago, he did not imagine he soon would have thousands of regular listeners in more than 60 countries. Now, Strum’s popular online audio series has a new partner: the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Strum uses his weekly…

NeurologyLive, a platform for healthcare specialists, has added The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) to its Strategic Alliance Partnership program that works to share insights and experiences to benefit people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their families. A collaborative mix of neurological centers, networks, and…

A small RNA molecule found in high levels in the gut of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could be used to develop a new therapy for MS in the future, an early research study reports. Orally giving this microRNA — called miR-30d — to mouse models of…

Researchers at the University of Michigan developed an online tool to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) manage some of the more life-affecting symptoms of their disease. Called My MSToolkit, the tool is a free and web-based, self-guided program based on behavioral healthcare. It’s designed to help in managing…

Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A), but not a widespread variant of the virus called HHV-6B, could be one of the root causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. Compared to healthy people, those with MS show greater numbers of antibodies to HHV-6A viruses, reflecting greater exposure to…

Mount Sinai Medical Center has joined with BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to explore the safety and efficacy of NurOwn as a potential treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in an ongoing Phase 2 trial. The New York center is the fourth clinical site participating in the trial, in addition…