September 24, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cancer Researchers’ Discovery May Benefit MS Studies In an unexpected discovery, scientists working to understand the biological underpinnings of brain tumors found that increasing the activity of a protein receptor called PDGFRA reduces the production of myelin ā the fatty coating that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS) ā in the nervous system. “We saw that…
September 22, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Tied to Increased Risk After Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis People who develop colon cancer are more likely to die in the first year, from that cancer or other causes, if they also have multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study indicates. MS disability seems to contribute to this association. “These results warrant further investigation to determine what factors may…
September 22, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD NIH Awards $2.3M to Bioengineer to Advance Diagnosis, Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases TheĀ National Institutes of HealthĀ (NIH) awarded a $2.3 million grant to a bioengineer at Indiana Universityās Luddy SchoolĀ of Informatics, Computing and Engineering to improve diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The project aims to find ways to detectĀ disease-associated cells based on their ability…
August 26, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Infection Risk Higher for Ocrevus Than Rituximab, But Cancer Risk Lower Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a second-generation anti-CD20 antibody, may be associated with a greater risk of infections. But it carries a lower risk of cancer and immune reactions than first-generation rituximab inĀ people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), according to a real-life study. The higher incidence of infections linked with Ocrevus’…
March 18, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gilenya Linked to Slightly Increased Cancer Risk in MS, Swedish Study Suggests The risk of invasive cancer may be slightly higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) compared with those treated with rituximab, and with people from the general population, a Swedish study suggests. The study, āCancer Risk for Fingolimod, Natalizumab, and Rituximab…
July 15, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD MS Possibly Linked to Greater Cancer Risk in Large, But Preliminary Norwegian Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have a greater overall risk of developing cancer than the general population, according to the results of a 58-year follow-up study of nearly 7,000 patients in Norway. Risk seems particularly high for cancers in respiratory organs, urinary organs, and the central nervous system.
June 14, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD ‘Pregnancy Compensation Hypothesis’ May Explain Greater MS Risk for Women A mismatch ā between the ancestral immune function changes induced by the placenta and fewer modern-day pregnancies ā may help explain the greater risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases in women in industrialized societies, according to a new study. The shift toward a sedentary lifestyle may…
October 11, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Rituximab for MS Does Not Increase Cancer Risk Compared to Gilenya and Tysabri, Swedish Study Finds Treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with rituximab does not increase breast cancer risk in women, and is not associated with a higher risk for malignant cancer of any type in men or women, when compared to Gilenya (fingolimod) orĀ Tysabri (natalizumab), according to a nationwide study in…
March 28, 2018 News by Larry Luxner Ocrevus a Year After Approval: Views of Some MS Experts A year after U.S. regulators approved Genentech’sĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)Ā as the first treatment for both the relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, a prominent neurologist involved in the Phase 3 clinical trials that led to its authorization says it has been beneficial for some MS patients. But itās simply…
March 22, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Evidence Supports Safety, Effectiveness of Medical Cannabis in MS, Cancer, Other Diseases Medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for pain relief and should be integrated into current clinical practice, according to a new evidence overview. Benefits also include reducedĀ spasticity in multiple sclerosisĀ patients. The overview, titled āSpecial Issue: Cannabis in Medicine,” was published in the…
February 20, 2018 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Medical Cannabis Found to Safely Reduce Chronic Pain in Older Patients in Study Medical cannabis was found to safely and significantly reduce chronic pain in older patients withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā and a wide range of other conditions, researchers in Israel report. Led by scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Cannabis Clinical Research Institute at Soroka University Medical…
December 26, 2017 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Lifetime Cancer Risk Lower in MS Patients Than General Public, Study Reports People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a lower overall lifetime risk of cancer relative to a general population matched by area, age, sex and habits like tobacco use and alcohol consumption, new research reports, suggesting this lesser risk might be due to the nature of MS itself or to disease…
August 17, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Older Immunosuppressants May Increase MS Patients’ Cancer Risk, Study Reports The risk of people with multiple sclerosis developing cancer is higher if they have used immunosuppressants than if they haven’t, according to a study that followed more than 1,000 patients for a decade. The findingsĀ indicate that the often discussed association between MS and cancer may stem from older types of…
June 5, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson Transitioning from MS Patient to Cancer Caregiver I am making the transition from multiple sclerosis patient to cancer caregiver. On May 11 my family’s world turned upside down when my husband of 41 years was diagnosed with advanced Ā pancreatic cancer. My caring husband, who has always loved and protected me, is now the one in…
April 20, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD AAN Annual Meeting Offers First Ocrevus Data Update Since MS Therapy’s Approval by FDA New data on the recently approved multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting 2017, which will take place April 22-28 in Boston. The meeting is the first scientific conference focusing on neurology since the U.S.
February 27, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Novantrone Lowers Relapse Rates over Long Term, But Carries Cancer Risk Ten years after completingĀ treatment with Novantrone (mitoxantrone), a chemotherapy drug, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed evidence of markedly lowerĀ annualized relapse rates, but the therapy’s effects began to wane after five years, a studyĀ presented atĀ ACTRIMS 2017 ForumĀ reported. The study also assessed howĀ Novantrone affects disease progression in primary and secondary progressive…
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…
November 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Company Specializing in Stem Cell Platform for MS and Other Ills Raises $48.5M Magenta TherapeuticsĀ has completed itsĀ first round of financing, raisingĀ $48.5 million to develop ways of bringing bone marrow stem cell transplants to more patients with autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), among other illnesses. The new companyĀ aimsĀ to develop the first complete platform that can overcomeĀ the challenges in stem cell transplants,…
November 8, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD University Researchers Develop Tool to Diagnose Serious Weight Loss in Patients with MS, Cancer Researchers at McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Canada developed a new tool to diagnose cachexia ā also called wasting syndrome. It’s characterized byĀ weight loss,Ā muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and a significantĀ loss of appetiteĀ in someone who is not trying to lose weight, mainly in cancer patients. The tool may also…
October 12, 2016 News by Ed Tobias MS, Cancer Risk and a Trip to the Dentist. What’s the Connection? I made a trip to the dentist today. What does that have to do with multiple sclerosis, you ask? Stay with me. We’ll get there. But first, let me tell you about a weekend conference that my local chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society held recently. One of…
January 27, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc New MS Treatments May Come from Study of Immune System Protein Researchers haveĀ discovered a protein regulator that leads to autoimmune inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a possibly important discovery because potential therapeutic targets for diseases like MS are believed to lie in this cascade of inflammatory events. The researchers, in fact, suggest that the regulator, called Trabid, is one of…
October 16, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Develop Potential Inhibitors for Proteins Involved in Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis and other Autoimmune Diseases A new study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry revealed novel potential inhibitors of specific proteins involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and autoimmune disorders, like multiple sclerosis. The study is entitled āDual Targeting of the Chemokine Receptors CXCR4 and ACKR3 with Novel…
October 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Potential MS Drug Cladribine Reported To Have No Impact on Cancer Incidence A new study recently published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation revealed that the drug Cladribine does not increase the risk of cancer in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as previously thought. The study was led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)…