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…
October 15, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ECTRIMS2021 ā Quitting Smoking May Help Slow MS Progression Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13ā15. GoĀ here to see the latest stories from the conference. Multiple…
September 9, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell As My Disease Progresses, I Choose to Grow I watch my multiple sclerosis progress. I see it progress in moments of defeat. I think of it when I fall. I curse it when I break or canāt open things. I grieve over it when my body fails me. I watch as my independence slips away like…
September 7, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Brain Atrophy, Serum NfL Levels May Predict Cognition Early in MS A blood test for serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels, along with radiological findings, can help to detect early cognitive issues in people recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study āCortical Thickness and Serum NfL Explain Cognitive Dysfunction in Newly Diagnosed Patients…
August 11, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Nurse With MS Wins Grant to Find Severity, Progression Biomarkers A nurse and PhD candidate with multiple sclerosis (MS) is looking for disease biomarkers that can help healthcare providers better estimate how individual cases of MS will progress. The goal of Stephanie Buxhoeveden’s research, now supported by a grant from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), is…
July 20, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Nerve Tissue Scarring May Explain MS Progression Nerve tissue scars associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) show marked differences from those of similar neurodegenerative disorders, according to a recent study. MS-associated inflammation causes brain and spinal cord lesions (nerve tissue scarring) that often are bigger and last longer than those of two other demyelinating diseases: myelin oligodendrocyte…
April 9, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Retinal Layer Thickness May Predict MS Progression, Relapses Measurements of the thickness of the eye’s retina ā the layer of nerve cells lining the back of the eye ā could be used to predict disability progression and relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a real-world study from Austria suggests. āOur study shows that both crossectional and…
March 31, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Machine Learning of Walking Patterns Could Help Predict MS Progression A machine learning-based method that examines walking abnormalities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could help identify patients who are at high risk of worsening symptoms, a study suggests. The study, “Predicting Multiple Sclerosis from Gait Dynamics Using an Instrumented Treadmill ā A Machine Learning Approach,”…
March 24, 2021 News by Diana Campelo Delgado UK ‘Mega-trial’ Testing Multiple MS Therapies to Start This Year Doctors in the U.K. are planning a “mega-trial” to investigate several marketed therapies ā at the same time ā as potential treatments to halt the progression, or even reverse the disabilities, of multiple sclerosis (MS). The world-first Octopus trial, named for its various arms, will enable researchers to concurrently…
February 26, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD #ACTRIMS2021 – Blood NFL Levels Seen to Rise With Markers of MS Progression Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25ā27. GoĀ hereĀ to see all the latest stories from the conference. Higher blood levels of neurofilament light chain (sNfL) were linked with disability, brain atrophy, and other features of…
February 24, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Enrollment Complete in Phase 2 Trial Testing Temelimab GeNeuroĀ has completed patient enrollment in its ProTEct-MS Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating temelimab as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The study (NCT04480307), taking place at the Karolinska Institutetās Academic Specialist Center (ASC) in Stockholm, Sweden, has enrolled 42 people with relapsing MS whose…
February 12, 2021 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Early-life Trauma Affects MS Development, Treatment in Mice Childhood trauma can affect disease progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and treatment in adulthood, a study in mice suggests. The study shows that mice that experienced early-life trauma were more likely to develop an autoimmune condition and less likely to respond to common treatment with interferon beta. The study,…
February 11, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD KIF5A Protein Levels in CSF May Act as Biomarker of Progressive MS The levels of KIF5A protein are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ā the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord ā of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and, further, are correlated with disease progression measures in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), a new study shows. These…
February 2, 2021 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS European Project Uses Artificial Intelligence to Help Improve Patient Care The recently launched BRAINTEASER project focuses on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve the care of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). An initiative of a European consortium, BRAINTEASER could benefit patients, caregivers, and clinicians by enhancing the ability to predict,…
January 19, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Brain Changes in Relapsing MS Found to Follow Pattern Changes in the amount of grey matter in specific regions of the brain appear to occur early in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), while structural changes in white matter happen late in disease progression. These were among the findings of a recent study that tracked the sequence of events in…
January 12, 2021 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Lemtrada May Slow MS Disease Progression, Long-term Study Suggests LemtradaĀ (alemtuzumab) may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and lower the conversion rate of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a long-term study suggests. The results showed that patients converting to SPMS ā in which a personās disability gets steadily worse ā were older,…
January 8, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Study: Past Long-term DMT Use Tapers Risk of Current MS Progression Long-term use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has a beneficial cumulative effect compared to shorter treatments, delaying the development of irreversible disability and conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a recent study…
December 17, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Restoring Neuregulin-1 beta 1 Protein Levels May Help Halt MS Progression The levels of a protein called Neuregulin-1 beta 1 (Nrg-1beta1) decline with the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. The findings support the potential of Nrg-1beta1 as a predictor of MS risk and progression and suggest that restoring its levels may help halt disease…
December 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplant With NG-01 Treatment Shows Promise in Progressive MS Treatment with NG-01 ā an approach that uses patientsā own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ā safely and effectively delayed disease progression in people with active, progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), according to final data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Delivering these cells directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)…
December 3, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Chronic Lesion Expansion in RRMS Contributes to Disease Progression, Study Reveals The expansion of chronic white matter lesions in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) determined the increase in total lesion volume and significantly contributed to disease progression, a study has revealed. The study, āExpansion of chronic…
December 3, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Nasal Delivery of Interferon-beta at Lower Doses Shows MS Treatment Potential in Mice Nasal delivery of Rebifās active ingredient interferon-beta, loaded in carbohydrate-based nanoparticles, reduced disease progression and nerve cell inflammation in a preclinical mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study demonstrated. This alternate, non-invasive, low-cost treatment strategy…
November 20, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Smartphone Typing Patterns May Be Tool for Monitoring MS Progression, Study Finds Typing patterns in daily smartphone use show clinically relevant changes over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but not among healthy individuals, a study shows. Notably, these variations often coincided with clinically meaningful changes in measures of disease activity, disability, and/or fatigue in MS patients with and without…
November 18, 2020 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Disease Progression Differs More Across MS Type Than Sex of Patients, Study Finds Marked differences in disease characteristics are observed between male and female patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) but they are more pronounced when comparing patients across clinical subtypes, a new study finds. The analysis found that although women are more prone to…
November 12, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Neurofilament Light Levels at First MS Event Can Predict Long-term Brain Atrophy 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…
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…
October 23, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD VX-765 Therapy, Given Through Nose, Limits MS Progression in Early Study The anti-inflammatory medication VX-765, which is delivered through the nose (intranasal), was found to limit disease progression in a preclinical model of multiple sclerosis (MS) by blocking a protein called caspase-1. The medication helped prevent damage to brain cells in mice. Researchers from the University of…
October 21, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Immune Cellsā Ability to Clear Myelin Debris Is Potential Therapeutic Approach for MS, Mouse Study Shows Oral administration ofĀ trehaloseĀ ā a sugar molecule found in plants and fungi and reported to have neuroprotective effects ā eased symptoms and halted disease progression in a mouse model ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). These benefits were associated with a restoration of the ability ofĀ microgliaĀ (the brainās immune cells) to break down…
July 21, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Retina Thickness Can Be Used to Identify MS Patients with Progressive Disease, Study Suggests The thickness of two layers of nerve cells forming the back of the eye, or retina, can be used to distinguish patients with progressing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) from those with stable disease, a study suggests. The study, āMacular ganglion cellāinner plexiform layer…
July 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD High Levels of NfL Protein Linked to Disability, Faster Disease Progression in MS High levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein circulating in the blood of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at an early stage of the disease are linked to higher disability and faster disease progression, a study has found. According to researchers, these findings suggest that NfL ā a…
July 7, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Study: Mavenclad Shows Long-term Effectiveness at Preventing MS Relapses, Disease Progression MavencladĀ (cladribine) prevents relapses and disease progression in more than half of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) for at least five years after the last dose, according to a real-life study from Italy. These findings, based on real-world data from Italian MS patients previously treated…