I have a kilt. It’s just a simple, olive-colored utility kilt, and I don’t wear it because of family or cultural tradition. I wear it because it’s comfortable, looks right with my knee-high compression socks, is nearly perfect for wheelchair use, and quite frankly, makes me look even cooler than…
Dear current me, Not that long ago, I wrote a letter to our younger self, newly diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). That letter was intended to let her know that her diagnosis was not the end-all, be-all and wouldn’t take away from the beautiful and…
More than 90% of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who received Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium have not experienced confirmed disability worsening after nearly three years. That’s according to new data from the EMPhASIS Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03846219) and its open-label extension (OLE)…
A CAR T-cell therapy from Iaso Biotherapeutics was tolerated well and led to marked improvements in disability for three people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to early data from a Phase 1 clinical trial. After a single dose of equecabtagene autoleucel, patients saw rapid and…
For years, the date of June 22 marked the anniversary of an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) that gave me back a kind of life I never thought I’d taste again. The date marked a milestone I clung to like a ribbon at the finish line, a sign I’d…
A ketogenic diet — a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet — rich in long-chain, saturated fatty acids like those in butter and fatty red meat didn’t reduce optic nerve damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Instead, feeding mice this type of diet before the…
The first person with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been successfully imaged in a clinical trial evaluating a new positron emission tomography (PET) tracer designed to detect changes in myelin loss, or demyelination. The Phase 1 study (NCT04699747), a joint effort between Quantum Biopharma and Massachusetts…
A multicenter Phase 2a clinical trial testing foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) has begun dosing patients at Weill Cornell Medicine Multiple Sclerosis Center in New York. The Phase 2a study (NCT06292923) is assessing the safety and efficacy of Tiziana Life Sciences‘ therapy,…
In people with benign relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have minimal disease activity, there is a loss of overall brain tissue but specific parts of the brain may grow to help compensate for the damage, a new study indicates. The study, “AI-driven MRI analysis reveals brain…
No one likes being volunteered against their will — especially when the person doing the volunteering uses the word “we.” I’m sure there’s a similar phrase in every language, but in English, a common reply is, “What do you mean ‘we’? Is there a mouse in your pocket?” I’m…
The summer months and the central Texas heat have arrived, and I feel indifferent about them. As someone with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experiences related heat intolerance, I try to avoid spending an extended amount of time outside. That saddens me because most of the summer fun occurs outdoors.
Aranzazu Calzado, known to friends as Zazu, has lived in Houston, Texas, since 1996 after moving from Spain. She was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis in 2021 and faces the challenge with resilience, faith in God, family, and friends as her support network. She finds joy in helping…
People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) at a younger age tend to consistently have better physical health but worse mental health than those diagnosed later, a study found. While physical health declined in the long term for all age groups, and mental health increased, the differences between groups were…
Hormone therapies used in gender-affirming care for transgender people may affect disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), a small new study reports, although its researchers cautioned that more research is are needed to more comprehensively assess its impact in MS. The study, “Gender-affirming interventions and prognosis…
Gum disease caused by the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is associated with worse multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease, a study shows. Infection with Pg directly or indirectly boosted pro-inflammatory pathways in immune cells in the spleen, where they’re produced, thereby aggravating MS. These effects…
An experimental medicine, 2-D08, boosts motor function in mice and primate models of multiple sclerosis (MS) by repairing the myelin sheath, the protective coating on nerve fibers that’s damaged in people with the neurodegenerative condition, a study showed. 2-D08 also outperformed the approved therapy dalfampridine, sold as Ampyra…
Ambio Life Sciences has launched a clinical program to test ibogaine — an experimental, naturally occurring psychedelic — for neurodegenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The program aims to offer therapeutic support in a safe, medically supervised setting. Now open to the public following a soft launch…
Aetna Healthcare has agreed to reimburse Helius Medical Technologies’ PoNS device, short for Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator, which uses electrical stimulation to improve walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The policy covers PoNS at an out-of-network negotiated price of $18,350, making Aetna, one of the largest private health…
Enrollment is now complete in the twin Phase 3 clinical trials testing Immunic Therapeutics‘ oral small molecule vidofludimus calcium in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). ENSURE-1 (NCT05134441) has enrolled 1,121 patients and ENSURE-2 (NCT05201638) has enrolled 1,100 patients at more than 100…
My family and I just returned from a vacation to the place I wrote about in my very first column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today, only not to the same house. I can’t make it up and down the stairs there anymore, so my wife found us a wheelchair-accessible…
Children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) experience biological aging at a faster rate than children without the disease, a study shows. “We found evidence that children living with MS experience accelerated biological aging,” Jennifer Graves, MD, PhD, senior author of the study at the University of California, San Diego,…
Four Canadian nurses are among the 11 recipients of this year’s International Nightingale Awards, which support innovative projects aimed at improving care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Presented annually by the International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses (IOMSN), the awards are open to MS nurses living…
Infections and stressful life events in childhood may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), while childhood exercise is associated with lower MS risk, according to a study. The findings, part of the German National Cohort (NAKO) population study, imply that programs to encourage physical activity and prevent…
Task-oriented training may help balance issues for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly when combined with conventional physiotherapy, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. But the study came with a note of caution. “These findings suggest inconsistent outcomes and highlight the need for cautious interpretation and further research,”…
Body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight, does not seem to affect responses to stem cell transplant in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. While the efficacy of an autologous transplant — one that…
Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms to analyze data collected on a smartphone app could predict whether a person with multiple sclerosis (MS) will experience certain high-severity symptoms in the next three months, a study shows. The scientists believe this will help empower patients to better understand their disease and…
Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) appears to be safe and effective for children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from Kuwait. After about 15 months of treatment, more than 90% of patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS) remained free of relapses, and most also showed no new…
Among people in New Zealand, the proportion of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) — the disease’s prevalence, or how common it is — has grown by about one-third in recent decades, a new study found. In 2006, 72.4 of every 100,000 people who lived in the country had MS,…
I am not particularly hairy, but even having sparse and fine body hair pulled out by an adhesive is an unpleasant experience. During trauma training in a U.S. Army Special Forces medic course, we had to take turns pretending to be one another’s casualties, which involved a lot of tape…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have chronic lower body pain show distinct changes in how they walk, including significantly slower gait speed, than those without pain, a study reports. Those with chronic lower body pain also took fewer and shorter steps, had longer step durations, and had…
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