About four in five adults with stable multiple sclerosis (MS) for at least five years remained free of disease activity after stopping first-line treatment with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT), according to a study based on data from the DOT-MS clinical trial. Still, disease activity reemerged in roughly 20%…

A year of treatment with the experimental BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib was safe and nearly entirely suppressed signs of disease activity, including relapses, disability progression, and brain lesions, in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new data from the open-label extension part of a Phase…

A panel of 20 proteins in blood may be used to quantify disease activity, namely relapses and lesions, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new paper proposes. “A multi-protein panel like the one developed in this study has the capability to capture the state of a patient’s MS…

Dormant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) becomes activated during periods of disease relapse in multiple sclerosis (MS) and triggers inflammatory activity in multiple types of immune cells, a study suggested. Blocking EBV activation can reduce the inflammatory activity of immune cells, supporting the idea that targeting the dormant virus may…

An association between the proteins IgG1 and CXCL10 in the fluid around the brain may help predict the risk of future disease activity for people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to “CXCL10/IgG1 Axis in Multiple Sclerosis as a Potential Predictive Biomarker…

A novel compound that can lessen toxic overactivation of nerve cells was found to significantly reduce disease activity and restore lost myelin in two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. Researchers say the compound, ZCAN262, may be a potential new treatment for MS should future…

People with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) at younger ages are more likely to have higher disease activity, suggesting they may respond better to disease-modifying therapies, according to a review of published studies. “Our findings confirm that younger patients tend to have more inflammatory activity, and so younger…

Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly reduced the development of brain lesions on MRI scans in Japanese people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a new study. The therapy also eased or stabilized disability levels in most patients after five years of treatment, and significantly reduced the annual rate of…

Note: This story was updated Sept. 15, 2023, to clarify ANK-700 was developed based on the preclinical work described in the study. An “inverse vaccine” that’s designed to teach the immune system not to attack a specific target, effectively reduced disease activity in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS),…

Older people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have not experienced disease activity for several years still will benefit from disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) to control the neurodegenerative disorder, a new study found. Data from a first trial assessing whether discontinuation of DMTs among these patients is at least as…

Blood levels of the nerve damage marker NfL seem to spike to very high levels around times of disease activity in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. The findings support using NfL as a biomarker of disease activity, in the form of relapses or lesions, in…

There was no evidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity for at least two years in patients who underwent an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) at a center in Mexico. And by the most recent follow-up — a median of about seven years after the procedure —…

Taking high-dose vitamin D supplements as an add-on to standard MS treatment doesn’t reduce the risk of inflammatory disease activity for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from a clinical trial. The findings “suggest that prescribing higher doses of vitamin D for purposes of…

More than half of the people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who received Briumvi (ublituximab) in the ULTIMATE clinical trials had no signs of disease activity over the first six months of the trial — and over 80% of participants had no disease activity for the…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) was equally effective in reducing disease activity after two years in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study reports. The therapy also slowed disease progression in both groups, although a stronger effect was seen with RRMS patients…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who are stable on rituximab treatment may receive the therapy at extended intervals without risking increased MS disease activity, according to a new study. In fact, a longer lag between infusions could potentially reduce the medication’s side effects, researchers say — noting,…

Assessing disease activity from the first to second year after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), once treatment has been initiated and stabilized, can help predict long-term disability outcomes. That’s according to the study, “Rebaseline no evidence of disease activity (NEDA-3) as a predictor of long-term…

Individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) have significantly higher concentrations of specific inflammation biomarkers in their spinal fluid than healthy people, an exploratory study shows. For most biomarkers, levels in PPMS patients were comparable to or lower than those seen in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Octave announced the commercial availability of a multiple sclerosis (MS) care program that examines various facets of a person’s disease to help determine the best course of treatment and management that’s tailored to an individual. The program, called MS Precision Care Solution, combines blood biomarker…

A blood biomarker test developed by Octave can effectively monitor overall disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), helping to improve the care being given, the company reported. The assay, dubbed the MS Disease Activity (MSDA) test, can also be used to monitor disease activity across…

Simoa, a technology that detects relevant molecules in samples with up to 1,000 times greater sensitivity than conventional methods, has helped to advance research into a blood biomarker expected to predict future disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Specifically, Quanterix‘s ultra-sensitive technology allowed an international team…

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can be used to predict the risk of future disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The results also suggest that changes in NfL levels could be used to deduce the extent…

Most relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients switching to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) following suboptimal responses to other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) show no evidence of disease activity, according to final two-year data from the European-based CASTING Phase 3b trial. These clinical benefits, which entail no relapses or disease progression and no…

In people with early-stage multiple sclerosis (MS), the presence of high levels of neurofilament light chain (sNfL) protein in the bloodstream combined with thinning of the retina is a strong indicator of future disease activity, a recent study demonstrates. “Our findings encourage the application of both sNfL and retinal…

Larger declines with treatment in blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker of nerve cell damage, are associated with fewer brain lesions, less brain shrinkage, and lower relapse rates in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. These results, based on a post-hoc analysis…

Abnormalities detected on MRI scans at the onset and within the first two years of disease may predict disability worsening in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), a nine-year study reports. Specifically, damage in the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerve plays a major role in predicting outcomes in these…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25–27. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. While researchers make progress in pinpointing markers of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), identifying those that signal…

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) switching from Tysabri (natalizumab) to moderate-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are at a higher risk of showing signs of MS activity and experiencing disability progression than those switching to high-efficacy DMTs, a real-world study found. Based on these findings, the researchers are arguing that,…

A novel medication targeting the protein folate receptor-beta (FR-beta) decreased inflammation and brain damage in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, in the study “Efficacy and tolerability of folate-aminopterin therapy in a rat focal model of…

Rituximab shows long-term benefits, even among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) who stopped its use or reduced their dose, a study reported. Researchers found little evidence of disease reactivation among patients who discontinued the medication, and an adequate inflammatory disease suppression…