disease progression

Specialist inpatient rehabilitation is a cost-effective strategy that can improve the clinical outcomes of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly those at more advanced stages of the disease, a study in the United Kingdom (U.K.) found. The study, “Cost-efficiency of specialist inpatient rehabilitation for adults with…

For multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with considerable disability, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) appears to lower the risk of continued progression in both relapsing and primary progressive forms of the disease, data from an exploratory and post-hoc analysis of three Phase 3 trials report. These findings were in the study, “…

A nerve cell protein found in the blood shows potential as a biomarker of neuroinflammation and future neurodegeneration in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. The protein, called serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), is a known marker of injury to axons (nerve…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have lower than usual levels of molecules called bile acids circulating in their blood, a  study found. These molecules, produced in the liver to aid fat absorption in the gut, also appear to block inflammation and nerve cell damage in the brain. Oral treatment with …

Older age at onset and evidence of active disease, like clinical relapses or inflammatory brain lesions, significantly increase the likelihood of  faster disability progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a natural history study suggests. These findings — which included active disease being seen in 31% of the 178…

A planned Phase 2 clinical trial of a potential treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis has been postponed to keep hospital resources open to treat people with COVID-19 during the ongoing global outbreak, and to reduce the risk of exposure to MS patients, GeNeuro, the investigate therapy’s developer, announced. The…

MedDay Pharmaceuticals‘ MD1003 did not ease functional disability or its progression in patients with non-active progressive multiple sclerosis, Phase 3 clinical trial data shows. The SPI2 Phase 3 study (NCT02936037) sought to confirm the positive results of a first Phase 3 trial called MS-SPI…

As multiple sclerosis (MS) patients live longer, researchers have observed similarities between changes in their brains and in the brains of Alzheimer‘s patients, a study found. Understanding whether these changes are the result of worsening MS-related neurodegeneration or co-occuring (comorbid) Alzheimer’s disease will help guide better treatment…

The Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital has joined BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics in a Phase 2 trial exploring the safety and efficacy of NurOwn in the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the fifth and final clinical site participating in…

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have never given birth and those who began menopause prematurely tend to develop progressive forms of the disease earlier, a study from the Mayo Clinic suggests. These findings were presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression are more likely to have worsening neurological function compared with those who do not have the mood disorder, results from a real-world study show. The findings were presented Feb. 27 by Jenny Feng, MD, in an oral presentation — titled “…

AB Science‘s masitinib significantly slowed disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive MS (SPMS) at a lower dose of 4.5 mg/kg a day, top-line results from a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial show. Masitinib, formerly known as AB1010, is an oral…

Myeliviz is the name of a new compound approved for a clinical trial in the U.S. that has the potential to make the process of diagnosing multiple sclerosis faster and tracking the disease progression easier. It does this by providing doctors with a better picture of damaged myelin…

Progressive cognitive decline in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be as inevitable as previously thought, a study suggests. The study, “A longitudinal study of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis: is decline inevitable?,” was published in the Journal of Neurology. Statistics indicate that some kind…

Dietary Changes May Delay Development and Progression of MS, Study Finds Methionine is an amino acid found in meat, eggs, and dairy. It’s absorbed by T-cells that are part of our immune system. Those cells are also believed to be the immune cells that attack our myelin, creating the…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by “Newly Diagnosed MS Patients Show Changes in Gut Microbiome, Study Says,” from Dec. 3, 2019.

Changing a person’s diet to reduce the amount of methionine (amino acid found in food) could delay the development and progression of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). That finding was described in the study “…

Transplanting patients’ own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a safe therapeutic approach and can delay disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a meta-analysis review shows. The study also showed that cells transplanted to the spinal cord (intrathecal injection) were associated with significantly slower disease progression rates, compared…

Nerve impulses travel in a “dual cable” with myelin, playing additional roles to what was previously thought, new research has found. This discovery advances human knowledge of how brain connections work, and may help scientists understand more accurately what happens when myelin is lost — which is what occurs…

Recovering well after a first relapse and starting a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) immediately afterward considerably increases the likelihood of slowing progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. Its findings support relapse recovery as a critical factor for DMT initiation, and one that should be assessed routinely in MS…

Despite the fact that being obese or overweight may worsen multiple sclerosis (MS) prognosis, people with the neurodegenerative disease are not more likely to adopt weight loss diets, a small study suggests. The study, “Obesity, dieting, and multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related…

A common mutation in the fat-mass obesity (FTO) gene is associated with obesity and increased disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a Kuwaiti study. The data, which showed no link between this mutation and an increased risk of MS, highlights the need for more studies about…

Regeneration in the brain is reduced in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but enhanced during disease activity in those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a study reports. The results also show that regeneration is unaffected by treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), as shown by the levels…

The Government of Alberta is investing CA$1 million into a research project that will follow for years a group of people with multiple sclerosis — with varying disease types and at differing stages — to better understand progression in MS. The province’s contribution brings to more than CA$10 million (about…

Processes related to metabolism in brain cells known as astrocytes may be at the origin of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly underlying the inflammation and damage to the nervous system seen in progressive disease, a study in mice found.

Stopping the migration of immune B-cells through the blood-brain barrier by blocking ALCAM, a molecule linked to the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), lessened disease severity in an MS mouse model, a new study shows. Details of the discovery were reported…

A large retrospective study suggests that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker — called “brain atrophied T2 lesion volume” — could help predict the timing of multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. According to the study, this marker was the only MRI parameter capable of predicting disease progression, compared with other…

A 30-year study of outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reports that radiological findings in the first year of disease onset, and the amount of disability evident at five years, helps to predict both the likelihood of a person advancing to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and long-term survival. The study,…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have poorer neurite density — a measure that relates to the amount of nerve cell projections, including axons and dendrites involved in nerve-to-nerve communication — in the brain and spinal cord than do those without this disease, a study shows. This measure, especially…

What worries you most about living with multiple sclerosis? I’m catching up with a small survey by Can Do MS, an organization that promotes health and wellness education programs. The survey results, released in September, show that disease progression, financial concerns, and loss of independence are at the…