January 11, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Depression in pregnancy linked to autoimmune disease, especially MS Women with a history of depression around the time they get pregnant are at increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. Likewise, women who have an autoimmune disease are more likely to get depressed during pregnancy and in the year after…
November 9, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD First healthy volunteers dosed in Phase 1 trial of LPX-TI641 A Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating LPX-TI641, Lapix Therapeutics‘ experimental therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, has dosed its first participants. The first-in-human trial (NCT05853835) of healthy adult volunteers follows the recent clearance of an investigational new drug application by the U.S. Food…
September 26, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 vaccines safe, do not worsen MS symptoms: Study Certain COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to worsen the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and may provide protection for at least six months after a booster dose, according to a study in Spain. The study specifically examined mRNA vaccines, or those that use a piece of RNA to teach…
August 16, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Engineered probiotic found to ease symptoms in mouse model of MS A lab-engineered probiotic, composed of live bacteria that colonize the gut, was able to ease signs of disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. After discovering that a metabolite called lactate could activate immune signaling pathways that help to curb autoimmunity, scientists specifically…
May 23, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD US patent secured for experimental LPX-TI641 for autoimmune diseases LAPIX Therapeutics has secured a new U.S. patent covering the use of its experimental oral therapy LPX-TI641 as a means to restore immune tolerance in people with autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with the number 11,648,225, the patent…
March 17, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Vitamin D receptor defines 2 distinct lines of immune cells: Early study The body has two distinct lineages of immune cells that can be distinguished by the presence or absence of the vitamin D receptor, a preclinical study reports. The findings shed more light on how vitamin D fine-tunes immune responses and may help researchers better understand the link between vitamin…
February 17, 2023 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS CerraCap invests in Predicta Med’s autoimmune disease platform The startup company Predicta Med has received an investment from CerraCap Ventures to advance its leading platform focused on early diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-related diseases. The Israel-based startup has created the world’s first platform designed to use medical information to determine…
January 18, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Almost No Cases Found of Celiac Disease and MS in New Analysis Celiac disease, in which the ingestion of gluten causes the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine, is not common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a meta-analysis found. While the diet-caused autoimmune diseaseĀ is estimated to affect between 0.2% and 0.7% of people in the…
April 15, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD 1st RRMS Patient Dosed in Phase 1/2 Trial of Immunotherapy IMCY-0141 A Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating Imcyseās experimental therapy IMCY-0141 in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS) has dosed its first patient. The trial, called IMCY-MS-001, is expected to enroll nearly 150 adults with RRMS;Ā sites were not disclosed in a release by the Belgium-based company. Interim results may be available…
December 3, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Immune-suppressing Medicines May Reduce COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy A class of immune-suppressing medications called TNF-alpha inhibitors can reduce the efficacy of vaccines for COVID-19, according to a study that included patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. The results also suggest that a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine may help to protect patients with…
August 31, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Testing Extra Dose in MS, Other Diseases A new clinical trial launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is evaluating the impact of an extra dose of an approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccine in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseasesĀ who did not properly respond to an original vaccine regimen. Approximately 600 people will…
August 18, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Collaboration Explores Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases Cytocom has joined forces with La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) to discover and develop new immune-modulating therapies targeting toll-like receptors (TLRs) for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), cancer, and infectious and chronic inflammatory conditions. TLRs are an important family of protein receptors found at the surface…
July 28, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD FDA Greenlights Stem Cells Trial Aiming to Improve Quality of Life The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to a Phase 2 clinical trial that will assess the efficacy of using adult mesenchymal stem cellsĀ (MSCs) to treat the symptoms of mild to moderateĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The non-profit Hope Biosciences Stem Cell Research Foundation (HBSCRF),…
July 12, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Sugar Molecules in Yeast Cells Prevent Inflammation in Mouse Model A component of yeast cell walls ā called MGCP ā prevented disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) by activating anti-inflammatory immune T-cells while suppressing inflammatory T-cells, a study showed. This work also supporting the microbiomeās role in affecting inflammation in autoimmune diseases like MS. “We have…
May 12, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD ‘Mom’s Cure’ Fundraiser Supports Work for Early MS Diagnosis via Eye Exam The Autoimmune Registry (ARI) has opened a fundraiser, called āCure the Motherās Disease,ā to support the development of a tool that might detectĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) in early stages during an eye exam. This fundraiser,Ā …
March 4, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Antigen-loaded Red Blood Cells Help Promote Immune Tolerance in Mice Red blood cells carrying specific antigen proteins on the cell surface can be used to disarm overactive T-cells by promoting immune tolerance, a study in mice found. The findings may have important implications for the treatment of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. The study, āPersistent antigen…
March 3, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD NMSS Partnership Targets Autoimmune Disease Research The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has joined forces with the diabetes-focused JDRF and the Lupus Research Alliance to fund research looking at common underlying mechanisms of autoimmune disease. Called “Decoding Immune-Mediated Diseases ā Novel Approaches for Therapeutic Insights,” the new joint grant program is meant to stimulate…
March 1, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Imcyse Raises ā¬21.3M to Advance Treatments for MS, Other Diseases Imcyse has raised ā¬21.3 million ($25.8 million) in funding to advance its innovative immunotherapy platform for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other severe autoimmune diseases. The funding was a result of a series B financing round featuring existing investors such as Biogenosis, SociĆ©tĆ© FĆ©dĆ©rale de Participations et…
February 16, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Rituximab Before or During Pregnancy Not Linked to Major Complications Treatment with rituximabĀ before or during pregnancy was not associated with major pregnancy or infant complications, according to a case series of 19 women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. These findings add to the limited available evidence on the use of rituximab by expectant mothers either…
February 15, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD TH17-suppressing Pregnancy Proteins May Be MS Therapeutic Target Proteins called PSGs suppress the pro-inflammatory activity of immune Th17 cells during pregnancy, potentially playing a protective role against complications and miscarriage, a study finds.Ā The impaired regulation of Th17 is associated with pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia and preterm delivery ā and also with the development…
January 14, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD New Technique May Help Isolate, Characterize T-cells in MS Research Scientists at the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center have developed a technique able to more efficiently isolate specific T-cells ā immune cells involved not only in the fight against infections and cancer but also in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) ā for research. In particular, the…
January 11, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD BioNTech Vaccine Treats MS in Mice Without Dampening Immune System BioNTechās experimental non-inflammatory vaccine ā designed to dampen the abnormal immune responses seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) against myelin ā delayed the onset and lessened the severity of symptoms in a mouse model of MS, a study reports. Importantly, treated mice showed no signs of overall immune suppression,…
January 8, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Target Tissues of Immune Attacks Too Often Ignored in Research, Study Says To fully understand autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), it is necessary to study not just the immune system, but also the tissue that the immune system is attacking, a study suggests. “We must move away from the present ‘immune-centric-only’ view of autoimmune diseases,” Decio Eizirik, MD, PhD, study…
January 7, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Obesity, High BMI Linked to Greater MS Risk, Autoimmune Activity Obesity and a higher body mass index (BMI) are associated with both increased multiple sclerosis (MS) risk and harmful autoimmune activity that is induced by leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells, a study finds. These results indicate that leptin, which helps regulate…
December 31, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado MS Risk May Be Higher for Children of Diabetic Mothers, Study Suggests Children of diabetic mothers may be at more risk of developing multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a Danish national study suggests. The study, āMaternal diabetes and risk of multiple sclerosis in the offspring: A Danish nationwide register-based cohort study,ā was published in theĀ Multiple Sclerosis Journal. Previous studies have suggested a…
November 20, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Autoimmune Registry Releases Comprehensive US List of These Diseases The nonprofitĀ Autoimmune Registry (ARI) has published its first comprehensive list of autoimmune diseases, with information addressing more than 150 disorders, their subtypes, and prevalence in the U.S. This list was created in part to provide patients and scientists easy access to the latest peer-reviewed research, information on clinical…
October 28, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado No Association Between Skin Condition Vitiligo and MS, Study Asserts There is no significant association between multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) and vitiligo, a skin condition in which patches of skin lose their color, a review study has found. The study, āAssociation of multiple sclerosis with vitiligo: a systematic review and meta-analysis,ā was published in the journal…
October 27, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Metabolic Enzyme PKM2 a Potential Therapeutic Target for MS, Preclinical Study Suggests SuppressingĀ pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) ā an enzyme involved in cellular metabolismĀ ā in T-helper (Th) immune cells lessenedĀ myelin loss and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Myelin,Ā the protective sheath around nerve fibers that helps speed transmission of signals between nerve cells, isĀ damaged and lost…
October 22, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD European Patent Given to IMP761, Antibody Aiming to Treat MS The European Patent Office granted a patent for IMP761, Immutep‘s experimental antibody to be used in treating inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS). IMP761 targets a receptor found on the surface of immune system T-cellsĀ calledĀ lymphocyte-activation gene 3,…
October 20, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Aslan Pharmaceuticals to Develop Aslan003 for Autoimmune Conditions Aslan Pharmaceuticals announced it will develop Aslan003, a potent and highly selective next-generation modulator of the immune system, as a potential therapy for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Aslan003 is a small molecule blocking the human enzymeĀ dihydroorotate dehydrogenaseĀ (DHODH). This enzyme is believed to reduce…