Columns The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias MS News Notes: Myelin, SAR443820, Teenagers and Sleep, NICE Standards MS News Notes: Myelin, SAR443820, Teenagers and Sleep, NICE Standards Columnist Ed Tobias comments on the week's top MS news by Ed Tobias | January 30, 2023 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link Welcome to āMS News Notes,ā a weekly Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Hereās a look at whatās been happening: A protein to restore myelin? I usually don’t like to comment on stories about mouse studies, because they’re a long way away from the actual development of a treatment. However, I’d like to point out this story due to the wide interest in remyelination. In the story “Fractalkine Found to Promote Remyelination in MS Mouse Model,” Steve Bryson reports on a study about a molecule that triggered the growth of new myelin-producing cells and reduced inflammatory brain cells in mice. Researchers hope this will lead to a new therapy for reversing myelin damage ā a hallmark symptom of MS ā and the potential slowing or halting of MS progression. Recommended Reading January 27, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias Does Marijuana Help Your MS Symptoms, or Is It an Illusion? Trial seeking volunteers in Europe, China SAR443820 is a small molecule that inhibits RIPK1, an enzyme that drives inflammation and nerve cell death in the central nervous system. A Phase 2 clinical trial of SAR443820 (NCT05630547) is currently underway, with subjects being recruited in Europe and China. The story “Patient Dosing Starts in MS Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Oral SAR443820,” by Patricia Inacio, looks at the stages of the selection process and the goals of the research. Unusually, people with Ā relapsing-remitting MS, active and nonactiveĀ secondary progressive MS, and primary progressive MS are all being included in this trial. I think that’s a good thing, as people at all stages of MS are affected by inflammation and damaged nerves. Teenagers, sleep, and MS risk The story “Insufficient and Poor Sleep in Teen Years Increase Risk of MS: Study” reports on research showing that teenagers who sleep less than seven hours a night are 40-50% more likely to develop MS later in life than those who get adequate rest. The researchers tie this risk to the need for the immune system to function well, and sleep helps this happen. But here’s the rub for me: What teenager gets at least seven hours of sleep each night? And this study, which was conducted in Sweden, focused on the sleep patterns and shift work of 15- to 19-year-olds. Maybe things are different in Sweden, but how many kids in that age group do you know who do shift work? Is NICE using appropriate standards when judging disease-modifying therapies? The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for making cost-benefit analyses of the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used to treat people with MS in England. An important question its experts must answer is whether or not a particular DMT loses its effectiveness over time. This is extremely important considering the high cost of some DMTs and the fact that some may require years of treatment compared with others that have a finite treatment schedule. As Marisa Wexler writes in “Better Standards Needed for NICE Evaluation of MS Treatments: Study,” over the past 20 years, NICE has made differing assumptions about how and to what extent a DMT’s effectiveness may diminish over time. That’s not great news for people with MS in England. More constant standards, based on evidence, seem to be in order. Note:Ā Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice,Ā diagnosis, orĀ treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those ofĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ or its parent company, BioNews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis. Print This Page About the Author Ed Tobias People say to write what you know and Ed Tobias knows about MS. He's lived with the illness since 1980, when he was 32 years old. Ed's a retired, award-winning broadcast journalist and his column combines his four decades of MS experiences with news and comments about the latest in the MS community. In addition to writing his column, Ed is one of the patient moderators on the MS News Today Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sites. Heās also the author of āThe Multiple Sclerosis Toolbox: Hints and Tips for Living with M.S.ā Ed and his wife split their time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Floridaās Gulf Coast, trying to follow the sun. Tags MS News Comments Nancy I have always felt I had primary progressive but was just diagnosed wrong 34 years ago. Your articles are great. Reply Ed Tobias Thanks, Nancy. I appreciate your taking the time to drop a note and am glad you like what I write. I hope it's useful to you. Ed Reply Leave a comment Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published. Your Name Your Email Your Comment Post Comment
March 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Cell therapy using Tregs in MS headed to Phase 2 trials in Poland