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…
September 28, 2017 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Opioid Growth Factor May Be New Biomarker for MS Diagnosis and Progression, Study Shows Opioid growth factor (OGF) can serve as a new biomarker to determine diagnosis and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), say researchers atĀ Pennsylvania State University. Their study, āSerum [Met5]-enkephalin levels are reduced in multiple sclerosis and restored by low-dose naltrexone,ā appeared in the journal Experimental Biology and…
February 8, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD First Multiple Sclerosis Blood Biomarker Discovered; Test May Soon Be Available Scientists have discovered the first blood biomarkerĀ for multiple sclerosis (MS) āĀ a chemical identifier in the blood. The discovery should lead to a simple blood test that makes it quicker and easier to follow the course of MS, a debilitating disease of the central nervous system affecting aroundĀ 2.3 million people…
September 28, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD McGill Scientist to Use $6.1M PMSA Award to Search for Markers of Change in Progressive MS In its effort to end progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the International Progressive MS Alliance (PMSA) has awarded a $6.1 million grant to fund a research project led by Dr. Douglas Arnold with the Montreal Neurological Institute Hospital (MNI) at McGill University. The multiyear grant is one of three…
February 1, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Protein Seen to Impede Remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Researchers from Karolinska Institute, Sweden, reported that the immune-associated protein lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is increased in multiple sclerosis, particularly inĀ patients with progressive MS. The researchers, however, concluded that the factor cannotĀ be used as a biomarker for the disease. The study, “Lipocalin-2 is increased in progressive multiple sclerosis…
January 7, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Entropy in MS Patients’ Brains Seen to Mirror Level of Disability A recentĀ study published in the journal PLOS ONEĀ described a new technique with the potential to spot brain changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) before the onset of symptoms. The technique, which measures brain dynamic activity and brain entropy, mayĀ lead to theĀ development of diagnostic ā and possibly prognostic ā…