MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Trial, COVID-19 Vaccines, MS Blood Test

First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Trial of IMS001 Therapy

IMS001 is an investigational treatment that uses mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) — cells derived from human embryos. Preclinical studies have shown that IMS001 has the ability to stabilize an overactive immune system, as is the case in people with MS, as well as repair the blood-brain barrier. These researchers believe IMS001 has the potential to reduce symptom relapses and disease progression, and encourage disease arrest.

ImStem Biotechnology announced that the first patient in its Phase 1 clinical trial for IMS001, an investigational treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), has been dosed at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

The trial (NCT04956744) is recruiting participants with an MS diagnosis ages 18 to 65. More information is available on this link.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects With MS Similar to Public at Large

This information is based on a self-reporting survey of 719 people with MS. I was one of them. My side effects, after each of my Moderna shots, were minimal, the same as reported by most of the people in this group.

Side effects upon receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are similar to those reported in the general population, and patients on certain disease-modifying therapies are less likely to have vaccine reactions, a survey-based study found.

The findings provide “a reassuring picture” for those who feel hesitant about vaccination or are yet to be vaccinated. Further research on the immune response to vaccination is underway, according to a press release from the National MS Society, which funded the work.

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Recommended Reading

November 23, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD

Autoimmune Patients Want Clearer COVID-19 Vaccine Info

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Mynd Tests MAP, Blood Biomarker for MS Diagnosis

One of the things missing from the group of procedures used to diagnose MS is a simple blood test. Perhaps not much longer. Clinical research could begin in a few months on such a test, and its developer hopes to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for it as soon as the second half of next year.

Mynd Diagnostics is launching a clinical study to test the ability of a blood biomarker, which the company coined Mynd anti-inflammatory peptide (MAP), to help in the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Starting in the first quarter of 2022, the company will collect blood samples from diagnosed patients to compare their biomarker levels against control samples.

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