April 9, 2020 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: What Is Acthar Gel? Editor’s note: “Need to Knowā is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum post “MS Treatment Eases Flare-up Symptoms After 2 Months” from Oct.
March 16, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – CNM-Au8 a Potential ‘Breakthrough’ in MS Therapy, Clene CMO Says An investigational therapy that uses nanocrystals of gold to help the brain repair itself represents a breakthrough in the multiple sclerosis (MS) field, says Clene Nanomedicine‘s chief medical officer Robert Glanzman. Glanzman, MD, recently presented promising results at the ACTRIMS Forum 2020 indicating that Clene’s lead…
March 13, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Ofatumumab Self-injection Pen May Be ‘Very Attractive’ Option for Relapsing MS Monthly under-the-skin injections of NovartisāĀ investigational candidate ofatumumab show promise as a convenient, effective, and safe therapeutic option for people with relapsing multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Data from the ASCLEPIOS and APLIOS clinical trials showed that ofatumumab ā currently under regulatory review for possible approval in the U.S. and Europe…
March 6, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – What We Now Know About Diet and MS What science has told us about how diet might influence a person’s risk ofĀ multiple sclerosis and a patient’s disease course was the topic of discussion at a recent MS conference. Ellen Mowry, MD, a researcher and professor of neurology atĀ John Hopkins,Ā also reviewed some of the dietary…
March 4, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – 3 Ways to Treat MS by Altering Gut Microbiome Under Study Modulating the bacteria that reside in the gut by treatingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with probiotics, fecal transplants, or gut-related microRNAs may help to ease inflammation and disease severity,Ā researchers withĀ Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggest. Howard Weiner, MD, a group leader at the hospital, presented his team’s findings on…
March 3, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – IL-13 May Be ‘Attractive’ Target for Easing Inflammation in MS A signaling molecule of the immune system called interleukin 13 (IL-13) may modulate the function of key immune cells involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), and their migration through the barrier that protects the brain and spinal cord. IL-13 is an “attractive molecule” and a potential avenue for treating MS,…
March 3, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – EHP-101 Shows Promise in Early Studies; Phase 2 Trial Ahead Emerald Health Pharmaceuticalsā investigational cannabidiol-derived EHP-101 continues to show potential to ease inflammation and myelin loss (demyelination) ā a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā according to data from healthy volunteers and a mouse model of MS. The data support the advance of EHP-101’s clinical development into…
March 3, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Ozanimod May Ease Inflammation While Retaining Some Immune Defenses Ozanimod ā an investigational oral therapy up for approval to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) ā lowers the number of white blood cells circulating in the blood, supporting its ability to ease inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. But this treatment also does not affect all…
March 2, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – CorTechs Says AI Models May Improve Early MS Diagnosis CorTechs Labs presented new data indicating that machine learning models based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain may aid in the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Company representatives, joined by other experts, also released updated recommendations for a standardized…
March 2, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Ofatumumab Self-injection Pen Equivalent to Prefilled Syringe, APLIOS Trial Shows Using a patient-friendly autoinjector pen to take monthly doses of ofatumumab ā an investigationalĀ B-cell therapy for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) ā is bioequivalent to delivering it via a prefilled syringe, and would allow self-administration of the treatment at home, a study shows. Equal effects…
March 2, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Acthar Gel Ably Treats MS Relapses, Topline Data Show Acthar GelĀ (repository corticotropin injection) leads to significant improvements after two months of use in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) still having acute relapses despite treatment, and who failed to respond to other high-dose corticosteroids, topline data from an observational study show. The gel’s developer, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, also…
March 2, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Protein May Drive Process Causing T-cells to Attack Myelin A protein called dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) is key for the development and expansion of self-reactive immune T-cells that wrongly attack myelin, a study in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) found. DOCK8 drives the migration and stimulating capacity of dendritic cells ā immune cells that ‘teach’…
March 2, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Vitamin D at High Dose Can Worsen MS, Early Study Says High-dose vitamin D supplements appear to aggravate inflammation and myelin loss in the brain and spinal cord, and worsen the disability associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in a mouse disease model reported. Excessive use of vitamin DĀ causes calcium levels to…
February 28, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Early Trial Data Support CNM-Au8 Improving Vision, Physical Abilities Clene Nanomedicine shared early results of the VISIONARY-MS trial, suggesting that CNM-Au8 āĀ an investigational remyelinating therapy ā leads to “notable” trends in better vision, as well as benefits in mobility and manual function in relapsing multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patientsĀ with chronic vision problems.
February 28, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Remyelination in Adult Animal Brains Possible via Cell Transplant, Study Says Transplanting humanĀ glial progenitor cells (GPCs) ā brain cells able to generate myelin-producing cells ā effectively led to remyelination in the brains of adult mice with myelin disorders, a study found. These results were presented atĀ the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2020, running…
February 28, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Pregnancies and Menopause Affect Age of Progressive MS Onset Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have never given birth and those who began menopause prematurely tend to develop progressive forms of the disease earlier, a study from theĀ Mayo ClinicĀ suggests. These findings were presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum…
February 28, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Depression in MS Linked to Worsening Neurological Function Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression are more likely to have worsening neurological function compared with those who do not have the mood disorder, results from a real-world study show. The findings were presented Feb. 27 by Jenny Feng, MD, in an oral presentation ā titled “…
February 27, 2020 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc NeurologyLive, CMSC Offer Panel Series on Changes in MRI Guidelines for MS NeurologyLive, a multimedia platform for specialists in that field, partnered with the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā for its recent video series on changes inĀ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol and guidelines for treating and managingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). This āPeer Exchangeā panel discussion includes four specialists in neurology…
February 20, 2020 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc #ACTRIMS2020 ā Keynote SpeakerĀ Peter Calabresi to Discuss Link Between Genetics and MS Severity Specific mutations in genes that provide instructions to make two proteins ā Ā called C3 and C1q ā are linked to increased severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research. The new finding will be presented by Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineĀ researcher Peter Calabresi, MD, during…