NIH grant supports PhD student’s study into fear of falling with MS

A grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supporting a U.S. study into the physical, cognitive, and psychological responses that may underlie a fear of falling in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the $96,812 two-year grant by the agency’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child…

My youngest recently left for college. It was hard to say goodbye, but I know it was time to let her go. I am now an empty nester, though I prefer to think of myself as a successful bird launcher. So what happens now? Many people get to know their…

Note: This column refers to the author’s own experience with Gilenya (fingolimod). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. On a recent Friday, all was calm and peaceful in my household. I was bundled up in my bed watching…

A specific epigenetic marker, or a chemical modification in DNA that alters gene activity, may explain why adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells respond differently to therapies aiming to restore myelin than their neonatal counterparts, a study reports. The modification, called a lysine eight acetylation on histone H4, helps to regulate…

One thing I learned during my Army medic training is that I’m not particularly squeamish — with most things, that is. I have a theory that everyone has at least one thing that will turn their stomach. Every medical provider I’ve met either knows exactly what can make them gag,…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who drink low to moderate amounts of alcohol have significantly less disability progression in the years following diagnosis than non-drinkers, a study found. The trend was especially pronounced among women. Although the findings suggest that drinking alcohol may have beneficial effects in some…

TG Therapeutics plans to soon launch a Phase 1 clinical trial to investigate the CAR T-cell therapy azercabtagene zapreleucel, or azer-cel, in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The announcement comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared TG’s…

People with multiple sclerosis show subtle alterations in gut bacteria that seem to be consistent across populations in the U.S. and Asia, a new analysis of previously published studies found. “Our work … establishes a generalized and common gut microbiome pattern in patients with MS across geographically and technically…

Before I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at age 17, I was just a young adolescent eager to attend college but uncertain about my path. However, after my diagnosis, which happened during my senior year of high school, just a couple months before college applications were due,…

Indapta Therapeutics will launch a Phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S. in the second half of 2024 to explore its cell-based therapy IDP-023 in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The announcement follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) clearance of the company’s investigational…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions who use Mallinckrodt‘s treatment Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) now have a self-injection option, the company said. Acthar Gel Single-Dose Pre-filled SelfJect is available in two dosages — 40 USP units/0.5 ml and 80 USP units/1.0 mL — that…

A few years before I was married and had even thought about having children, I was at home alone when there was a knock at the door. I hadn’t lived there for long, and a small group of people had dropped by to welcome me to the neighborhood. I invited…

PIPE-307, an experimental oral therapy that’s currently in Phase 2 testing for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), was shown to promote myelin repair in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The preclinical findings were published in PNAS, in the study “Targeting the muscarinic M1 receptor…

Three innovative projects aimed at addressing unmet needs in multiple sclerosis (MS) and fostering new perspectives on the disease have received incubator grants from the nonprofit MS Australia. Totaling AU$74,813 (or about $48,700), the grants will support one-year projects that focus on MS social needs, disease biomarkers, and…

While watching the Olympics recently, l found myself reminiscing about the days when I played sports. I used to dream about becoming the next Shannon Miller in gymnastics or Mia Hamm in soccer. A more realistic dream was playing sports in college, but that goal quickly became unattainable. In eighth…

About a third of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) exhibit cognitive impairments, according to a review by Australian researchers of 50 previously published studies. The findings suggest that cognitive issues might be somewhat less common in RRMS than previous reports have indicated, with prior estimates ranging from approximately…

A machine learning algorithm may be able to accurately predict whether or not people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will experience a worsening of disability in the near term — which may help tailor treatment decisions and improve patient quality of life — according to the findings of a new…

Blocking the activity of a protein called connexin 43 (Cx43) may be an effective strategy to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study in animal models of the disease. A compound called INI-0602, which was designed to inhibit this protein, significantly eased disease severity in mice, including…

I spent the majority of my life wearing an Army uniform. As a result, I never had to worry about what I’d wear to work all those years. Come to think of it, I never had to worry about that during my civilian years, either. I’m the middle…

Tiziana Life Sciences has received fast track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its intranasal foralumab to treat nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The FDA gives fast track status to experimental medicines that have the potential to fill unmet needs to treat serious…

Iaso Biotherapeutics has received the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start clinical trials of its investigational CAR T-cell therapy equecabtagene autoleucel (eque-cel) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The FDA’s clearance of the company’s investigational new drug (IND) application makes MS the…

Inflammation outside of the brain and spinal cord, which can be caused by infections like the common cold, flu, or urinary tract infections (UTIs), is associated with more damage to the nervous system in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to the study “…

About a year after I was born, my parents decided to get my ears pierced. Little did they know, it would become an obsession of mine years later. But little did I know, my piercings would pose problems when it was MRI time. When I was 13, I continued…

My last magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was on May 1, just ahead of an appointment with my multiple sclerosis (MS) healthcare provider six days later. The MRI showed that my MS was stable, meaning I had no new or active lesions. I was pleasantly surprised by these…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) said it named Tim Coetzee, PhD, president and chief executive officer. Coetzee had been chief advocacy, services, and science officer for the organization, which provides funding and advocacy programs and services and works toward creating a world without multiple sclerosis (MS). Coetzee…

With just four more summers with all my kids still living at home, I’ve been making the most of our time together by throwing everyone in our trailer to visit state and national parks in the U.S. This summer we’re overseas in Europe, experiencing the lesser-known sights only accessible by…

Kesimpta (ofatumumab) is more effective than Aubagio (teriflunomide) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) from ethnically diverse groups, including Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, and Asian individuals, according to an analysis of pooled clinical trial data. “Determining whether there are differences in how people respond…

I almost didn’t write this column. It might be a sensitive topic, but I’m not afraid of offending anyone. Even if I do, it’s not intentional. It’s not that I don’t understand the subject, either. I think I do, but I’ve been having a lot of trouble putting it into…

Immutep has been cleared to start a Phase 1 clinical trial in the Netherlands to test IMP761, its experimental antibody therapy for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers. The first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial seeks to assess the safety and pharmacological properties of IMP761.

Using machine learning to analyze eye scans can help detect slight changes that may be early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially aiding in early diagnosis of the disease, a study found. The study, “SLO-Net: Enhancing Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Beyond Optical Coherence Tomography Using Infrared Reflectance…