March 21, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc CONy16: MS Researchers Question Possible Long-term Benefits of Remyelination Therapies Multiple sclerosis was a main focus at the four-dayĀ 10thĀ World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy), inĀ Lisbon, Portugal, that concluded on March 20. Among the topics of debate was demyelination as the disease’s main pathogenic precursor and the clinical potential of remyelination. The debate, titledĀ āCan we expect long-term…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Pros and Cons of MS Drugs Targeting Immune Cells Other Than B-cells Debated Clinical trials have shown that ocrelizumabĀ ā an antibody targeting B-cells ā is effective in multiple sclerosis (MS). As a result, some researchers and clinicians claim that B-cell depletion is a sufficient therapy in MS, and that drugs targeting other immune cells are obsolete. Not everyone agrees. A debate at…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Should RRMS Disease-Modifying Drugs Be Used to Treat Secondary Progressive MS? A majorĀ dilemma facing clinicians is whether to continue treatment withĀ disease-modifying drugs, effective in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), as the disease progresses to secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In SPMS, Ā these treatments seem to lose their benefits and ā as they areĀ often associated with severe side effects and high costs ā clinicians…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Sanofi Genzyme Symposium on MS Therapies Targeting T and B Cells; Exclusive Interview with Lead Researcher Sanofi Genzyme,Ā one of the companies participatingĀ in the four-dayĀ 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) in Lisbon, Portugal, that concludedĀ on March 20, 2016, supported several symposiums focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) ā including one on B-cell and T-cell therapies. For over a decade, Sanofi Genzyme has workedĀ to developĀ effective therapies…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Debate Weighs MS Therapy Risks of Infections Like PML in Terms of Benefits Offered Certain therapies used toĀ treat multiple sclerosis (MS) have been associated with opportunistic infections of the central nervous system, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but often fatal brain disorder caused by the John Cunningham (JC) virus. The question of whether the risk for opportunistic infections to MS patients outweighs…
March 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CONy16: Can Vitamin D Be Considered a Disease Modifier for Multiple Sclerosis? Vitamin D is crucial for our general healthĀ and it is known that it modulates immune responses. While large studies have shown that supplemental vitamin D lowers the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), not everyone is convinced. In a debate at the 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy)Ā March…
March 18, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CONy16: Scientists Debate MRI’s Role in MS Treatment Changes; Exclusive Interview with Prof. Xavier Montalban The precision of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement has improved over the years, and now scans can identify brain damage before symptoms begin showing. Whether the presence of new or expanding lesions predict disease progression is, however, still controversial, and clinicians have no guidance when making treatment decisions about the…
March 14, 2016 News by Charles Moore Multiple Sclerosis News Today to Provide On-site Coverage of 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology The 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) will be held this week — March 17-20 — in Lisbon, Portugal, and Multiple Sclerosis News Today will be there to cover and report on the proceedings. CONy 2016 co-chairs Prof. Amos Korczyn and Prof. Victor Oliveira noted that in…