The degeneration of nerve cells in the retina of the eye is more pronounced in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking interferon-beta than in patients treated with more efficacious disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study finds. As the loss of such cells,…
disease progression
Day 13 of 31 This is Susan Carey’s story: My name is Susan Carey, and I was diagnosed with MS in 2004 at age 14. As you can imagine, it came as a surprise to me and others. Having to go through puberty with a chronic illness…
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…
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. Cognitive impairment without physical disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) may grow in prevalence as newer therapies better control…
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. Reducing the essential amino acid methionine in the diet lessened multiple sclerosis (MS)-like symptoms in a mouse model of…
Photos courtesy of Sophie Brodie Day 2 of 31 This is Sophie Brodie’s story: MS is a label. Sometimes that label means something, but a lot of time it doesn’t. Almost two years ago — when I had lost some vision, some sensation, some balance, some mobility — a…
Recently, I was given the exceptional honor of finding stories for MS News Today‘s upcoming “31 days of MS“ initiative. I loved the challenge, and used it as an opportunity to catch up with friends I’ve met over the years while doing…
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 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…
Tingling fluttered down my spine and into my butt. “What on earth was that?” I thought. I bent my head forward again, and the same thing happened. “OK, that’s weird.” I sat on our spare…
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,…
New Zealand will expand patient access to a list of funded treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), starting on March 1. The government health agency, PHARMAC, will extend eligibility criteria to include MS patients with expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores ranging from zero to six. EDSS is a validated…
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,…
The levels of KIF5A protein are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord — 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…
Making clinical trials more comparable, consistent, and focused on the biological mechanisms underlying the onset and development of multiple sclerosis (MS) are all key to more quickly realizing new treatments for progressive MS, according to the International Progressive MS Alliance. To attain these goals, the Alliance, a worldwide…
Asymptomatic damage to spinal nerves occurs even in clinically stable cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) and carries an increased risk for further lesions, a recent study suggests. Although a firm link between the asymptomatic loss of myelin in the spine and worsening disability remains to be found, this work…
Would I jinx it? In last week’s column “How I’m Staying on Top of MS’ Many ‘Gifts,'” I wrote about being on top of all my MS-induced ancillary symptoms. Wendy, one of my two readers, pointed out that she didn’t want to jinx me. The trouble was that I’d…
When I was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009, my first question to my neurologist was, “Will I end up in a wheelchair?” She patted this question back with the generic, “You may, but no one knows the course that anyone’s MS might take.” Later, I learned that late-onset…
Age is a main driver of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) and has a key influence on patients’ therapeutic responses to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) and Tysabri (natalizumab), a study showed. Given those findings, age should be considered in the risk/benefit assessment that’s used in the decision-making process for…
People with primary progressive MS (PPMS) appeared to show a much stronger response and to be the” driving” force behind a slowing in brain atrophy seen with ibudilast treatment in the SPRINT‐MS trial, a post-hoc study analysis reports. The treatment response observed in brain atrophy was more evident…
A new primate model uncovered by researchers can help scientists understand the immune and inflammatory processes underlying the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans, a study reports. It was already known that Japanese macaques — also called snow monkeys — can spontaneously develop encephalomyelitis (JME), a disorder that…
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…
A thyroid hormone-mimicking compound not only prevented nerve cell damage but promoted the cells’ survival in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). This discovery advances previous research showing that the compound, called sobetirome, can induce the repair of myelin, the protective sheath around nerves. The data suggest…
Scientists have discovered epigenetic changes in a gene called HTR2A, found only in immune cells isolated from people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a study reported. These findings suggest that such changes — external modifications to DNA that turn genes…
Lemtrada (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 — in which a person’s disability gets steadily worse — were older,…
Imatinib, a cancer treatment, stopped an injury response mechanism of the central nervous system (CNS) from activating, damage to which is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), an early study reported. Treatment with imatinib lessened immune cell infiltration and eased disease progression in mouse models of MS. Study researchers…
Study: Past Long-term DMT Use Tapers Risk of Current MS Progression Since being diagnosed in 1980, I’ve used four disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), starting with Avonex (interferon beta-1a) in the late 1990s. I haven’t had a true flare since shortly after my Avonex treatment began. My disease has progressed, but…
BioNTech’s experimental non-inflammatory vaccine — designed to dampen the abnormal immune responses seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) against myelin — delayed the onset and lessened the severity of symptoms in a mouse model of MS, a study reports. Importantly, treated mice showed no signs of overall immune suppression,…
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…
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…
The 2020 Sobek Research Prize has been given to Alan J. Thompson, MD, a physician scientist with University College London, for his pioneering work in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the National MS Society announced. The prize is jointly awarded by the German National MS Society (DMSG) and…