diagnosis

Innodem Neurosciences received $6 million to advance its digital biomarker eye-tracking technology as a possible way of diagnosing and monitoring neurodegenerative diseases. The technology is now being tested in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Money raised by the Montreal-based startup came through a series A financing round led by Morningside Ventures.

People with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) have significantly higher levels of a nerve injury-induced protein, called SERPINA3, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) than do those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and those without the neurodegenerative disease, a study shows. Of note, the CSF is the liquid that bathes…

CXCL13, an inflammatory biomarker, may be a good marker of likely future disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, “Intrathecally produced CXCL13: A predictive biomarker in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal – Experimental, Translational and Clinical. Clinicians caring…

For many of us, odd symptoms and strange feelings may fill our lives for years before we are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Others may be diagnosed more quickly, which flips our world overnight. I was diagnosed in three…

The levels of the protein neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood when a person experiences a first demyelinating event associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict brain atrophy up to a decade later, a new study shows. Titled “Association of Serum Neurofilament Light Levels…

Editor’s note: Previously, this piece stated that Dr. Ide Smets theorized a transition to telemedicine as the standard of care could cause decreased life expectancy in the U.K. of up to 30 years. The piece has been corrected to state that such a change could result in a decreased…

A multiple sclerosis diagnosis is hard to process. Our body that we once knew so well suddenly feels untrustworthy. The truth is that the malfunctioning of our body is a traumatic event. We never expected it to do these things.  We are…

The development of a diagnostic test using neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a biomarker for nerve cell damage — for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will be part of a collaboration program between Siemens Healthineers and Novartis. The goal of this new collaboration is to design, develop,…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $2.3 million grant to a bioengineer at Indiana University’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering to improve diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The project aims to find ways to detect disease-associated cells based on their ability…

More than 2.8 million people worldwide are now estimated to be living with multiple sclerosis (MS), including about 1 million in the United States, an update to the Atlas of MS reports. An increase since its previous update, this number translates to someone, somewhere in the world, being newly diagnosed with…

The upcoming MSVirtual2020 meeting, the largest international conference dedicated to multiple sclerosis (MS) research, will focus on advances and breakthroughs made in MS causes and risk factors, diagnostic tools, treatment response biomarkers, technology, and therapies and interventions. The 8th joint meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and…

Paramagnetic Rim Lesions Showing Promise as Diagnostic Marker of MS About a year ago, researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health reported that the presence of chronic active lesions in the brain may provide a clue as to how quickly multiple sclerosis symptoms will progress. They called them…

Inflammatory lesions within the brain, called paramagnetic rim lesions, visible on imaging scans may improve the accuracy of a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, especially when used in combination with other imaging-based biomarkers, a  study reported. If corroborated in larger future studies, these white matter lesions may serve as an early…

Almost two-thirds of people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States, identified through a national database, were not prescribed disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) over an average of more than two years of follow-up, a real-world study of nearly 5,700 patients found. Current guidelines “recommend early treatment with…

Inflammation drives the loss of brain volume and thinning of the eye’s retina in the first five years of a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, an imaging study demonstrates.  The findings support a therapeutic strategy of halting inflammatory activity during this initial period. …

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a greater risk of infections, particularly urinary and kidney infections, around the time of their diagnosis, compared with individuals without MS, a large Swedish population-based study found. Rates of serious and non-serious infections, as well as infections caused by bacteria, virus, and fungus, also…

After you get a new diagnosis and are coming to terms with a new way of life, the next part is especially tricky. You have to tell others. “Urgh. I don’t want to tell anyone! Why do I have to?” I’ve had this conversation with myself more than once.

Levels of a protein linked to inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) — called chitinase 3-like-1 (CHI3L1) — may prove to be a cerebrospinal fluid biomarker of neurologic disability in primary progressive MS (PPMS), a pilot study suggests. Higher CHI3L1 levels at PPMS diagnosis showed a…

The Canadian MS Working Group (CMSWG) — made up of neurologists with the Canadian Network of MS Clinics — has updated its recommendations concerning diagnosis and the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a press release from the MS Society of Canada.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) spend a significantly greater number of work days each year on sick leave or disability pay than do the general population — including in the years before they are formally diagnosed, a Swedish study found. Though the number of missed work days rises in…

I have long preached the merits of acceptance. In embracing my MS, I have mitigated much of the accompanying fear. This modus operandi has enabled me to live alongside my disease as opposed to clashing with it. While ideal, it is becoming increasingly difficult to follow my advice. Two…

I saw this question asked in a group somewhere not long ago and it got me thinking. Would I go back to the way I was before my multiple sclerosis diagnosis? No, I wouldn’t.  That may sound strange, I…

More than half of people with brain imaging changes akin to multiple sclerosis (MS) go on to develop the disease within 10 years, a global study of those with radiologically isolated syndrome reported. Progression to MS appears to be more likely in those who are younger, have spinal…

Over the years, I have observed how others deal with multiple sclerosis and its symptoms. This disorder is not one-size-fits-all, and it doesn’t discriminate. Recently, I came across a video of ABC News interviewing actress Selma Blair about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and management. Although the interview happened over…

Psychosis and cognitive difficulties may be initial symptoms of relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a case report says. “A case report revealing acute onset psychosis and cognitive impairment as primary manifestation in relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis” was published in the journal…

Last updated April 25, 2023 In June, the U.K. marks Carers Week, which got me thinking about how a chronic illness diagnosis often affects a patient’s entire family.  Most often, patients are the focus of a diagnosis, and the people around them are almost forgotten. The…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $7.2 million grant to a team led by Cleveland Clinic researchers that will study whether a new biomarker might more accurately diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). Grant money will support a study in 400 adults suspected of having MS to determine if the…

Symptoms including sleep disorders and pain may precede by as many as five years the onset of the more well-known symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. Understanding these first symptoms could aid in an early diagnosis, allowing treatment to begin at initial stages of disease. The…

Diagnostic guidelines for multiple sclerosis (MS) should be amended to first rule out the presence of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a neurological inflammatory disease that also affects the brain and spinal cord, a study recommends. The study, “Can a Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis Be…

Higher blood levels of the neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein at diagnosis are predictive of worse disability over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a large population study from Sweden suggests. The study, “Plasma neurofilament light levels are associated with the risk of disability in…