August 11, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Biomarker found for potential new disorder that’s been labeled as MS An antibody biomarker may help to distinguish people with a disease that resembles multiple sclerosis (MS), but may actually be its own clinical disorder, according to a new study. The biomarker was present in about 1% of MS patients and in 6% of those with a related demyelinating condition…
June 30, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias My COVID-19 antibodies are still in my blood, but does it matter? It’s been almost two and a half years since my first COVID-19 vaccine ā eight months since my most recent booster ā and my COVID-19 antibodies seem to still be doing their thing. I know this because, after having nine test tubes of blood drawn, the lab results…
May 3, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Antibody clumps in blood could drive nerve cell death in MS Clusters of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in theĀ blood of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appear to contribute to the nerve cell death that marks the neurodegenerative disease, according to a recent study. IgG antibodies harvested from the blood of MS patients drove nerve cell death in cell cultures, whereas antibodies…
April 17, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Skin patches may be more convenient MS antibody medicine Scientists have developed new skin patches that could offer a more convenient and less painful way to administer antibody-based medicines to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other disorders. “The developed [skin] patch is minimally invasive, self-administrable, and designed to be fully embedded into the skin with a short…
February 7, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Primary progressive MS confirmed as own disorder in mouse study Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is driven by antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the liquid around the brain and spinal cord ā but this is not the case in the more common relapsing forms of MS ā a new study done in mice suggests. Researchers say this result…
November 15, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Human EBV Antibodies May Help Inform Vaccine Development Scientists have identified a number of antibodies that can bind to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ā a major risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) ā and prevent its infection of human cells. The antibodies might offer new approaches to treat or prevent infection in groups of people most…
October 28, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD #ECTRIMS2022 ā EBV Antibodies Precede Early Nerve Damage Signs An infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) consistently preceded elevations in neurofilament light chain (NfL), an early biomarker of nerve cell damage, in people who went on to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. An increase in NfL levels, which is thought to occur before the clinical…
October 12, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD EBV Antibodies Found at Increased Levels in MS Patients in Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are significantly more likely to have antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ā the strongest risk factor for the disease ā than healthy individuals, as well as higher levels of these antibodies, according to a Spanish study. All MS patients were positive for anti-EBV…
May 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS With Rituximab, B-cell Counts Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Response Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on rituximab, higher B-cell counts are predictive of a better antibody-based response to a vaccine for COVID-19, according to a new Swedish study. “In our study, the B-cell level in patients given Rituximab was the only factor that influenced the ability to form antibodies…
March 28, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Key to Unlocking Blood-brain Barrier Discovered in Mouse Study A team of researchers has discovered that the key to bypassing the blood-brain barrier ā a semipermeable border that protects the brain against toxins in the blood but also blocks potential treatments ā is the Unc5B receptor in the endothelial cells that line the tiny blood vessels in the brain.
September 17, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Patients on Anti-CD20 Therapies Urged to Get COVID-19 Vaccine While people with multiple sclerosis (MS) taking anti-CD20 therapies do not mount a robust antibody response after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, the vaccines do strongly activate other parts of the immune system that are likely to be helpful in fighting the virus, a new study shows. “The message…
June 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Long-term Kesimpta Use Not Seen in Trial to Depress Antibody Levels Long-term use ofĀ Kesimpta (ofatumumab) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) did not substantially lower their antibody levels, allowing them to retain an ability to fight infections, new data from a Phase 3 clinical trial indicate. “These long-term results continue to support Kesimpta as a high-efficacy, first-choice treatment with…
August 24, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Genetic Variants May Explain High Levels of Antibodies Against Epstein-Barr Virus in MS, Study Suggests Genetic variants may contribute to increased levels of antibodies against proteins of the Epstein-Barr virus ā a known environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) ā in MS patients and their siblings, a study suggests. The study, āEBNA-1 titer gradient in families with multiple sclerosis indicates a…
May 18, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Blocking Monocytes from Nervous System Eases MS Severity, Early Study Finds Targeting the MOSPD2 proteinĀ may prevent immune cells known asĀ monocytesĀ from entering the central nervous system (CNS), which may significantly ease brain inflammation and myelin damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in mice suggests. VBL Therapeutics, the company leading the study, has developed…
May 15, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD EBV Infections Evident in All 901 MS Patients in German Study Supporting evidence that infection with Epstein-Barr virusĀ (EBV) could be one of the root causes ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study found all of its 901 early disease patients carry antibodies against this virus, meaning that all are or have been exposed to it. The study, “…
May 4, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Diagnosis by Antibody, Ocrevus After 6 Years, Telemedicine, New DMT Pill New Nanosensor May Help to Diagnose MS at Early Stages My neurologist likes to say that “brain is time.” The sooner MS is treated the more time you can buy before the brain begins to deteriorate and MS symptoms appear. Being able to diagnose MS sooner means earlier treatment.
April 30, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Nanosensor May Help to Diagnose MS at Early Stages A new tiny sensor is able to detect antibodies against myelin,Ā the protective coating of nerve cell axons whose destruction is a hallmark ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), potentially allowing for a diagnosis in early disease stages, researchers report. It also offers the possibility of distinguishing multiple sclerosis from neuromyelitis optica, a…
April 10, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD HLA-DRB1 Gene Variants Seen to Influence Risk, Activity of Pediatric-onset MS A variant of the HLA-DRB1 geneĀ āĀ called HLA-DRB1*03 āĀ appears to predispose people to developingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) in childhood, and to correlate with greater disease activity among those who do, a study in Greek patients suggests. The research also points to a protective role of one other variant of this…
December 2, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD MS Risk Linked to Herpes Virus 6A and Not More Common 6B, Study Suggests Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A), but not aĀ widespread variant of the virus called HHV-6B, could be one of the root causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests. Compared to healthy people, those with MS show greater numbers of antibodies to HHV-6A viruses, reflecting greater exposure to…
October 29, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Levels of Infection-fighting Antibodies Low in Blood of People with MS, Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to have low levels in their blood serum of certain antibodies that can protect against infection, regardless of whether they are using a disease-targeted therapy or not, a study reports. These levels were not so low as to risk infection on their own,…
September 13, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 ā Human Herpesvirus 6A May Increase MS Risk, Study Suggests Infection with the human herpesvirus (HHV)-6A may increase the likelihood of having multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new national study in Sweden. The research, āSerological response against HHV-6A is associated with increased risk for multiple sclerosis,ā was presented byĀ Anna Fogdell-Hahn, PhD, associate professor at the…
September 12, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – 6 Years of Ocrevus Use Tied to Low Rates of Serious Infections Treatment for more than six years with OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) is linked to lower levels of blood antibodies among people withĀ primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing MS, but rates of serious infections also remain low, an analysis of data from three Phase 3 trials show. Dropping below a certain…
January 5, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Human Herpes Virus 6 May Increase Risk of MS, Study Suggests Iranian researchers have identified another herpes virus that may increase the risk of a person developing multiple sclerosis. The team identified the human herpesvirus 6, or HHV6, as a potential risk factor for MS through a meta-analysis of several studies. They published their findings, āRelationship of Human…
December 1, 2017 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Mayo Clinic Develops Test to Distinguish Other Demyelinating Diseases from MS The Mayo Clinic has developed a test that allows doctors to distinguish other inflammatory demyelinating diseases from multiple sclerosis in the early stages of a disorder. The test, the first of its kind in the United States, looks for an antibody against a protein known as myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein…
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Immune Response to Epstein-Barr and Low Vitamin D Levels Separately Increase MS Risk A strong immune reaction to an Epstein-Barr virus infection and low levels of vitamin D appear to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) independent of each other, said researchers in a presentation at theĀ 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, France. Previous studies have shown that serum antibody titers…
October 13, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MRI Scans Could Identify Children at High Risk for MS, Yale Study Finds Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of children could reveal changes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) before any symptoms are developed, according to a study byĀ scientists at Yale University School of Medicine. The findingsĀ suggest that brain and spinal cord scans can identify children at high risk for developing MS.
August 16, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ulcer Bacterium Might Play Role in MS, but More Studies Needed, Greek Researchers Say Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients have larger quantities of certain antibodies to the stomach ulcer bacterium Helicobacter pylori than thoseĀ with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RMSS), finds a Greek study which also showed that MS patients in general differ from healthy people in this aspect. Although researchers atĀ theĀ University of ThessalyĀ think…
July 10, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD B-cell-secreted Toxins Kill Neurons and Myelin-Producing Cells, MS Study Reports B-cells of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) secrete substances that are toxic to both neurons and neuron-protecting myelin-forming cells, causing both kinds to die, according to a study. Despite analyses of numerous inflammatory and other factors believed to drive MS processes, researchers were unable to identify the molecules that are toxic, however. Dr. Robert Lisak of Wayne State University in Detroit, Dr. Amit Bar-Or of McGill University in Montreal and their teams are now working on identifying the factor, and learning if the process is also involved in progressive MS. Their study, āB-cells from patients with multiple sclerosis induce cell death via apoptosis in neurons in vitro,ā was published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology. It demonstrated that B-cells gathered from the blood of RRMS patients killed lab-grown neurons and oligodendrocyte cells, which form myelin, a protecting coating for nerve cells. Deterioration of the myelin coating and the death of neurons are hallmarks of MS. An earlier study the team conducted indicated that B-cells from MS patients could kill oligodendrocytes. But since the experiments involved only three patients and three controls, the team scaled up their experiments to include 13 patients and an equal number of controls. Both rat and human neurons died when mixed with MS-derived B-cells. In contrast, B-cells from healthy people had little or no impact on the survival of the brain cells. Researchers also discovered that the secreted toxic molecules had no impact on other types of central nervous system cells ā astrocytes and microglia. The toxins killed only neurons and myelin-producing cells. The B-cells triggered a process called apoptosis, or programmed cell death, researchers said. This is basically a suicide program. It tells a cell to die when exposed to stressful factors or toxins. The process differs from cell disintegration. Despite thoroughly screening about 40 inflammation-related substances, researchers were unable to identify any factors that caused the cells to die. The National MS Society and the Research Foundation of the MS Society of Canada funded the research, which the U.S. society highlighted in a news release. In the newest phase of the study, researchers will try to learn more about the processes underlying neuron and myelin-related cell deaths and identify the factors responsible. In addition to testing B-cells from progressive MS patients, the team will examine patients with other autoimmune conditions to see if the process is unique to MS or not. Researchers increasingly realize that B-cells are important to MS processes. This observation was underscored by U.S. regulators' approval of the B-cell depleting therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) at treatment for both relapsing and primary progressive MS.
January 5, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Antibodies Recognize Protein of Common Respiratory Tract Bacteria, Study Finds Researchers have found a microbial protein from the Haemophilus influenza pathogen that is recognized by antibodies in a subpopulation of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The finding supports the idea of a link between microbial infections and neurodegenerative diseases like MS, whose causes are uncertain. Haemophilus influenza is an opportunistic pathogen…
December 19, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Antibodies to Block MMP Proteins, Faulty in MS and Cancers, Created Using Camels as Inspiration Researchers, using camels as an inspiration, have finally developed antibodies against a group of proteins known as metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are involved in the pathology of diseases that include multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer. Results on this work, long a goal of scientists, were published in the journal PNAS,Ā under…