January 16, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD $24M in financing to advance treatments to protect myelin sheath Myrobalan Therapeutics has secured $24 million in series A financing to support the development of oral medications for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), which comprises the brain and spinal cord. The companyās pipeline currently includes three candidate therapies…
July 13, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD XPro1595 may promote myelin restoration, new mouse study finds INmune Bio‘s experimental therapy XPro1595 may promote myelin restoration through the activation of two types of nervous system support cells, according to new data that may lead to novel treatment strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. The findings highlight the activation of microglia, key…
June 7, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Molecular mechanisms help drive microglia problems in brain in MS Disease-associated inflammatory activity of microglia ā a type of immune cell with a central role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā is driven in part by molecular mechanisms that are activated when microglia try to clear the corpses of dead myelin-making cells. That’s according to a new…
October 7, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS PET Tracer for Myelin Loss Shows Good Safety in 1st-in-human Study A novel tracer designed to detect myelin loss in PET scans ā imaging tests that use a radioactive substance, called a tracer, to look for disease in the body ā showed a good safety profile in a small first-in-human study. Scientists say this new tracer could potentially help in evaluating…
August 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ocrevus Outperforms Rebif in Preventing Myelin Loss in Trial Two years of treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) outperformed Rebif (interferon beta-1a) at preventing myelin loss in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of data from the OPERA II clinical trial. Ocrevus’ protection against demyelination was observed both in MS lesions,…
July 20, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Study Aims for Better Way of Marking Myelination in MS Patients Rune Labs has partnered with Coastal Research Institute (CRI) to identify new and noninvasive biomarkers of the loss of myelin, the fatty sheath surrounding nerve fibers that is progressively damaged byĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). The collaboration involves a patient study that will take advantage of Rune Labsā…
July 6, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Researchers Distinguish Remyelinated Brain Lesions Via MRI An MRI technique called quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) can be used to accurately identify remyelinated brain lesions in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a research team has discovered. Remyelinated lesions are those in which the myelin sheath ā the protective coating around nerve fibers that is progressively lost…
June 27, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Proteins Called Tenascins Found to Block Myelin Repair in Mouse Model Proteins called tenascins block the regeneration of myelin by modulating the activity of oligodendrocytes, myelin-making cells of the central nervous system, a study in mouse modelsĀ indicates. “Our research results open up new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis,” Juliane Bauch, a researcher at Ruhr-University…
March 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Immune Reaction to Milk Protein May Explain Dairy’s Link to MS Immune system reaction to casein, a protein in cow’s milk, can trigger an inflammatory neurological disease in mice that’s similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) and includes the loss of myelin, a study reported. “These results identify how consumption of milk and milk products may exacerbate the autoimmune response in…
February 21, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cognitive Problems May Be Due to Myelin’s Loss on Inhibitory Neurons Myelin is required for certain inhibitory neurons ā which help to suppress abnormal activity in the brain ā to work as they should, according to a study in mouse models. Loss of myelin on these neurons results in excessive electric activity in other nerve cells, likely disrupting the brain’s ability…
November 10, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah MS Advocacy Gives Me Strength and Purpose I want to help in any way I possibly can. My lonely confusion in the early days after being diagnosed with aggressive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was mentally and physically paralyzing. However, this column isnāt about how āHurricane MSā battered my body. Instead, it’s about why I chose to…
October 29, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Researchers Lower the Temperature to Try to Reduce MS Inflammation I hate the cold. It triggers my bladder and stiffens my legs. When the leaves start to turn in Maryland, I start thinking about the warm weather in Florida. So, I was interested to read research from the University of Geneva that indicates that exposure to cold…
May 17, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Fatigue, Myelin, Gut Microbes, Bots Promoting Shots Fatigue Prevalence Remains High in MS Patients Is this a surprise to anyone who has lived with MS for any period of time? Over the many years since my diagnosis, fatigue has been my second most bothersome symptom. (Trouble walking is the first.) In this survey, researchers write that…
April 8, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mertk Gene Plays Key Role in Myelin Repair, Mouse Study Finds A gene called Mertk has important roles in the repair of myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects neurons and that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were published inĀ Cell Press, in the study “Multiple sclerosis risk gene Mertk is required for…
February 5, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Estrogen-based Therapy Shows Potential to Protect Vision in Mouse Model An estrogen-based therapy, called indazole chloride (IndCl), was shown to protect against optic nerve damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. IndCl may helpĀ to improve vision in people with the disease, but…
January 20, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD New Primate Model Can Shed Light on Mechanisms Underlying Myelin Loss A new primate model uncovered by researchers can help scientists understand the immune and inflammatory processes underlying the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans, a study reports. It was already known that Japanese macaques ā also called snow monkeys ā can spontaneously develop encephalomyelitis (JME), a disorder that…
October 30, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Better Repair of Nerve Insulation May Lead to New MS Treatments There may be a better way of repairing the insulation surrounding damaged neurons that could lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The data showed that blocking the protein sphingomyelin hydrolase neutral sphingomyelinase 2, or nSMase2, could improve the quality of the myelin surrounding…
August 20, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Cashew Molecule Promotes Remyelination, Halts Disease Progression in MS Mice Anacardic acid, a compound found in cashew nuts, promotedĀ myelinĀ regeneration and eased neuronal damage and disability in two mouse models of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). These protective effects were associated with maturation of myelin-producing cells and production of IL-33, an immune-related molecule with a neuroreparative role in the central…
June 30, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Boosting Cellular Energy at Sites of Myelin Loss May Stop MS Progression Loss of myelin in nerve cell fibers ā the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā leads to a shortage ofĀ mitochondria, a cell’s powerhouse, denying these damaged fibers the energy they need to work as intended, a new study shows. Boosting the migration of mitochondria to affected nerve…
February 6, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Could Myeliviz, a New Imaging Agent of Myelin, Be a Game-changer? Myelin is the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers and is damaged in those with multiple sclerosis. Quantifying the degenerative process of myelin would lend perspective to how much and where a patient is progressing. Currently, MRIs are used for diagnostic purposes, but the nuances of progression remain difficult…
February 3, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr, UTI Factors, New Myelin Imaging Agent, Nerve Impulses and Demyelination Epstein-Barr Virus and Certain Genes Interact in Ways That Can Promote MS, Study Finds Much has been written over the years about a possible connection between the Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis. Here’s further evidence of a link that has to do with how particular genes interact with the…
January 23, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD Gene Therapy Recovers Vision in Mice Models of MS, Uncovers How Neuron Connections Are Destroyed Early research in animal models and human samples reveals how loss of communication between nerve cells contributes to the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and shows how gene therapy could be used to preserve such connections and protect againstĀ vision loss. Researchers say their work identifies a…
June 10, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Stem Cell Therapy Based on Exosomes May Treat MS, Study in Mice Suggests Exosomes ā tiny vesicles secreted by cells ā collected from bone marrow stem cells and injected into a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) helped to treat the disease, a study reports. Specifically, this treatment eased myelin loss and neuroinflammation in the mice, and improved motor function, the…
April 11, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: What Is a Tremor? Editorās note: āNeed to Knowā is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum.Ā This weekās question is inspired by the forum topicĀ āTremors Caused by MSāĀ from April 30, 2018. Whatās shaking? If you…
March 5, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Bacterial Epsilon Toxin Found in MS Patients Triggers MS Disease Features in Rodents The levels of epsilon toxin are increased in multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients, and its presence in laboratory rodents replicated some aspects of disease activity, according to data presented at the 4thĀ AnnualĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum. The researchers suggested that the epsilon…
March 4, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Cerebrospinal Fluid, Meninges Inflammation Profile Can Stratify MS Patients A method based on cerebrospinal fluid measurements and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can aid in stratifying patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the time of diagnosis, which may help identify a tailored therapeutic approach for each patient from early disease stages. The data was presented by Roberta Magliozzi, from…
December 17, 2018 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Inactivation of S1PR2 Protein Shows Therapeutic Potential in MS Mouse Model, Study Reports Inactivation of S1PR2, a cell surface protein, helps improve clinical disability and reduce demyelination in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), a condition similar to multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) in humans, a study shows. This finding suggests that therapies blocking S1PR2 could have the potential to treat MS. The…
November 1, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Stopping Thrombin’s Release in Brain May Prevent Myelin Loss in Diseases Like MS, Mouse Study Suggests Myelin loss might be prevented by astrocytes, a brain cell that regulates myelin’s thickness in coating nerve fibers to support the proper transmission of nerve signals, after astrocytes were seen toĀ block an enzyme called thrombin inĀ a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its…
October 31, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD National MS Society Invests in Clinical Development of Human Antibody for Progressive Forms of MS Fast Forward, a nonprofit subsidiary of theĀ National Multiple Sclerosis Society, will invest up to $330,000 to advance the clinical development of an antibody that was shown to lessen inflammation and nerve cell damage in a multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) mouse model. The funding will help develop the antibody (aĀ protein…
October 29, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Blocking Molecule Evident in Excess in MS Patients Treats Mice with SPMS-like Disease, Study Reports Blocking a molecule that is overly abundant in theĀ nervous system of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and has been linked to nerve cell damage in animals, worked toĀ significantly ease inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration in mouse modelsĀ of secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a study reports. Treatment…