March 7, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD ACTRIMS 2024: An antihistamine may speed MS disease progression The antihistamine clemastine accelerated disease progression by more than five times in some adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) who received it in a Phase 1/2 trial, new data show. Joanna Kocot, PhD, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), showed that this effect is least partly…
January 9, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Blood levels of GFAP protein may predict disease progression in PPMS The ongoing worsening of disability among people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) may be predicted by elevated blood levels of the GFAP protein, a marker of damage to star-shaped support cells in the brain and spinal cord called astrocytes, a study suggests. The risk of disability progression was…
December 20, 2023 Columns by Mike Parker Struggles and successes in my first full year since my diagnosis of MS Where has the year gone? As we move closer to Christmas and a new year, Iāve pondered what the past 12 months of change have brought to my life. At the beginning of the year, I was working full time and still coming to terms with the diagnosis of…
December 19, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD MS also less common among men in China, but more disabling Fewer men than women are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in China ā as elsewhere ā but more male patients have faster MS disability progressionĀ and higher death rates, a study found. Over the next 25 years, the burden of MS is expected to persist in China, the researchers…
October 26, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Losing sense of smell can predict MS relapse-independent progression Losing the sense of smell is associated with a higher likelihood of worse disease outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a six-year follow-up study. Specifically, patients who are getting worse at identifying and discriminating odors are at higher risk of disability worsening, relapse-independent MS progression, and…
September 15, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Benefits of long-term Tysabri seen in RRMS patients in Japan: Study 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…
August 21, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD GFAP protein levels in blood fail to predict disease progression in RRMS Levels of GFAP protein in the blood ā a marker of damage to support cells in the brain ā were associated with the enlargement of brain lesions and of fluid-filled brain cavities called ventricles in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) undergoing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment, a study showed. While…
July 24, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Primary progressive MS can greatly reduce life quality, ability to work Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) can greatly reduce quality of life for patients and affect their ability to work, according to real-world data collected from a German MS registry. These results āconfirm the steadily deteriorating course of PPMS accompanied by increasingly limited quality of life,ā researchers wrote. The study,…
June 30, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Newly discovered genetic variant tied to faster MS progression Researchers identified a genetic variant that associated with faster multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and greater brain tissue damage, according to a study that combined data on more than 12,500 patients in North America, Europe and Australia. Unlike previously detected MS-related variants linked to the immune system, this variant sits…
April 21, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Secondary progressive MS found to start later, move slower than PPMS People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) seem to experience slower worsening of their disabilities than those with the primary progressive form of the disease (PPMS), a new study reports. However, SPMS patients tend to be older and have more advanced disability when they enter the progressive stage…
April 5, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Quitting smoking or moving to snuff may help slow MS progression Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are both associated with significantly faster disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but snuff, a smokeless tobacco product placed behind the upper lip, seems to slow MS progression, a study in Sweden suggests. Findings also linked smoking and secondhand exposure, also…
December 21, 2022 News by Joana Vindeirinho, PhD Ocrevus Reduces Disease Activity, Slows Progression in RRMS, PPMS 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…
December 14, 2022 News by Joana Vindeirinho, PhD Tecfidera Has No Impact on PPMS Progression After 2 Years: Trial Data Continuous treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) for more than two years did not slow clinical and radiological measures of disease progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) compared with patients who started treatment after one year. In fact, most PPMS patients remained stable with or without…
November 4, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD #ECTRIMS2022 ā 3-year Data Show Evobrutinib Safely Lowers Relapses Long-term use of the investigational BTK inhibitor evobrutinib among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) continues to maintain MS relapse rates, and keep MRI lesion activity low. That’s according to up to 3.5 years of data from a Phase 2 trial (NCT02975349) and its open-label…
October 14, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Low Cholesterol May Reflect More Aggressive Disease Progression People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) have lower cholesterol levels in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, compared with those without MS, a study reports. These lower cholesterol levels might correlate with a more…
October 5, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MS Disease Progression Could Be Monitored With Smell Test: Study Evaluating a person’s sense of smell may help monitor disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. Almost a third of MS patients studied showed signs of smell loss in clinical evaluations and the degree of impairment correlated with clinical measures of disease, such…
October 4, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Iron Rim Lesions in Brain Linked to a More Severe Disease Course The presence of iron rim lesions, which are regions of chronic inflammation seen on MRI scans, may be linked to a more severe disease course in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. The findings suggest the presence and number of iron rim lesions could serve…
September 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gut Bacteria Are Altered in MS, Linked to Disease Progression The composition of bacteria in the gut is altered in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared with healthy people in the same household, a new study reports. That bacterial composition is affected by disease-modifying therapies and seems to be associated with disease severity. These findings could aid in developing…
September 8, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD dreaMS App Can Detect Digital Biomarkers, Add to In-clinic Testing The 11 active tests of the dreaMS smartphone app ā which evaluates functional domains affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) ā enabled reliable and remote measurement of neurologic functions and were perceived as meaningful among MS patients, a small trial shows. Data collected through the app could offer a…
August 25, 2022 Columns by Stephen De Marzo The Difference Between Living and Existing After My PPMS Diagnosis Itās been a year and a half since I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). I still have use of my limbs and am able to walk, albeit shakily, without a walker. My eyesight has not been affected, I drive, and am able to carry on a…
August 5, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD No Neuron Damage Increase With 6-week Switch to Tysabri: Study Switching from a standard monthly course of Tysabri (natalizumab) to an extended-interval dosing administered every six weeks does not seem to increase neuronal damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. While individual blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve damage, did…
July 20, 2022 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Accessible NfL Blood Test Developed for Neurodegenerative Conditions Labcorp has launched a widely accessible test that measures the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve damage, to screen for signs of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The test is performed on a standard blood sample taken at a hospital, at the…
June 29, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD OM1 Develops Algorithm to Estimate EDSS Scores OM1 has created an artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm to estimate scores on the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), an established method for evaluating disability and disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The algorithm, using a method called machine learning, was trained to estimate EDSS scores…
April 25, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD In Relapsing MS, NfL Levels Help in Disease Progression Prediction Serum levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) ā proteins found in nerve cell projections ā can help in the prediction of disease progression among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of data from two large Phase 3 trials. The researchers said that NfL…
January 31, 2022 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Final Data Likely Soon in Phase 2 Trial of Temelimab for Relapsing MS A Phase 2 clinical trial into the safety and tolerability of higher-doseĀ temelimab as a potential therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is now complete, and top-line data is expected by late March, its developer,Ā GeNeuro, announced. The ProTEct-MS Phase 2 trial (NCT04480307), conducted at the Karolinska…
January 12, 2022 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Cognitive Dysfunction Found to Increase Risk of Death in MS Cognitive dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is predictive of worse outcomes, including clinical progression of the disease and a higher risk of mortality, according to a new study. “This review revealed that cognitive dysfunction … was associated with higher odds of transitioning from [a] relapsingāremitting course to…
November 19, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Cladribine as Injection May Limit Relapsing MS Progression for Years Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with subcutaneous cladribine saw limited disease progression over a follow-up period of up to 20 years, especially with increased cumulative dosing, according to a recent study. Subcutaneous (SC) cladribine is administered as an under-the-skin injection. It is a formulation different from…
November 11, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD North American MS Societies Targeting Earliest MS Predictors The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MSSC) has partnered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) to support a Canadian-led study investigating the earliest predictors of multiple sclerosis (MS) during the so-called prodromal period across diverse groups. A prodrome is a set of signs or symptoms that…
November 5, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Coated Vesicles Found to Safely Reduce Disease Progression in Mice Extracellular vesicles or EVs ā tiny sacs of material excreted by cells ā that have been coated with protein receptors were found to safely reduce disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet, in Sweden, coated these vesicles with receptorsĀ that block pro-inflammatory…
November 4, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Numares to Develop Multi-biomarker Test of SPMS Transition Numares has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Oxford University Innovation to develop and commercialize a panel of biomarkers that identify disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the company aims to create a tool that detects early signs of conversion from relapsing remitting…