March 10, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem cell therapy MSC-NP can ease inflammatory activity in brain cells MSC-NP, a form of stem cell therapy that’s currently in early clinical trials for multiple sclerosis (MS), can reduce the inflammatory activity of brain immune cells called microglia, according to a new study. The therapy is known to reduce disease severity and improve myelin regeneration in animal models of…
December 21, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Myelin Provides Metabolic Support to Inhibitory Brain Cells: Study Myelin, the fatty-rich material surrounding nerve fibers that’s progressively damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), provides metabolic support to a type of nerve cell in the brain that controls the activity of other nerve cells, a study discovered. Researchers showed mitochondria, the cellās energy producers, are specifically clustered in…
January 14, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Public-private Partnership Will Assess Therapy Potential, Effects of CBD Open Book Extracts (OBX) and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have partnered to investigate how cannabinoids like CBD affect brain cells, particularly in regard to neuroinflammation, according to an OBX press release. CBD (cannabidiol) and other cannabinoids, such as THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), have attracted interest for…
December 20, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Genetic Variant Linked to MS Affects More Than Immune Cells, Study Finds A genetic variant associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) due to its impact on certain immune system cells can also affect brain cells called astrocytes, a study shows. Reported in the study, āEnhanced astrocyte responses are driven by a genetic risk allele associated with multiple…
December 1, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Researchers Discover Molecules that Accelerate Reprogramming of Cells Researchers at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, have discovered a mechanism that accelerates reprogramming of cells into any other cell type.Ā The finding may help boost drug discovery and cellular therapies for several diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The study reporting the findings, ā…
December 16, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS May Be Triggered by the Death of Brain Cells Researchers are proposing for a first timeĀ thatĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) is triggered by the death of a specific cell population within the central nervous system called oligodendrocytes. The study, titled āOligodendrocyte death results in immune-mediated CNS demyelination,ā was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Oligodendrocytes,…