disease progression

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have increased levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in their brains, lowering the levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) — a process that likely leads to the loss of brain volume. The findings indicate that glutamate might be a driver of neuronal cell death and disease progression in MS,…

MedDay recently disclosed full study results from the MS-SPI and MS-ON Phase 2b/3 trials of its therapeutic candidate MD1003 in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the trials included people with “not active” progressive MS and those with either relapsing or progressive MS and visual loss, respectively. Data, presented at the recent American…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting will open with the John F. Kurtzke Memorial Lecture, “Do Relapses Really Matter?”, by the renowned multiple sclerosis (MS) expert Dr. Fred D. Lublin of Mount Sinai Medical Center. The June 1 lecture offers a fresh view on recent evidence into the impact…

A systematic review of existing medical literature on multiple sclerosis (MS) could shed light on MS causes and predictors for disease progression, and on lifestyle changes — ranging from vitamin D intake to weight loss — that might reduce a person’s risk. The report, “Factors associated with onset, relapses…

MedDay SAS recently announced that it has raised €34 million, about $38.5 million, in a Series B financing round. The money will enable the company to lead a confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial, called SPI2, in the United States to assess its lead candidate, MD1003, as a treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). MedDay concluded…

New research from Argentina explores the idea that controlling symptoms of type 2 diabetes (metabolic syndrome) can also beneficially impact multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression. The study,“Immunologic Effects of Metformin and Pioglitazone Treatment on Metabolic Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis,“ appeared March 7 in the journal…

Researchers, working with an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), discovered that oral treatment with a synthesized plant peptide, known as cyclotide, halted the progression of clinical symptoms without side effects. The finding offers new hope for the development of an easily available and orally deliverable treatment that might slow or even…

Several clinical trials have shown that alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) effectively reduces relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and improves disability in the early stages of the disease. A new study adds to evidence of the drug’s efficiency by finding that it affects different aspects of disability to varying degrees, a finding…

Damage to the cerebellum in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is due more to the death of actual nerve cells than the destruction of white matter connections, a new study out of Italy suggests. The article, which challenges previous ideas about how brain damage in MS occurs, is titled “MRI-detectable cortical lesions in the…

Scientists in recent years have wondered whether a link exists between high lactate levels resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction and multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Now researchers in Italy showed that lactate, a metabolic byproduct, is indeed increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients and may be a disease driver. Mitochondria are the body’s energy factories,…

New long-term research indicates that having multiple children does not lessen or otherwise impact disability in women with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, titled “Offspring Number Does Not Influence Reaching the Disability’s Milestones in Multiple Sclerosis: A Seven-Year Follow-Up Study,“ was published in The International Journal…

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore presented key findings today, Feb. 19, concerning the presence of contrast-enhancing lesions in later stages in the relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model. The presentation was made at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016, which is ongoing through…

Dr. Timothy Coetzee from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will present an overview of the objectives and achievements of the International Progressive MS Alliance (PMSA), an organization dedicated to facilitating and funding research on progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a form of MS especially lacking effective therapeutic options. Coetzee…

Scientists from the Neuroimmunological Diseases Unit at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will present results of a study investigating several biomarkers that might lead to a more sensitive and accurate diagnostic test of central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, a key aspect of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The data is being reported today, Feb.18, at the…

The Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016 starts today, Feb. 18, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 20. The opening day’s Session 1, titled “Emerging Concepts in MS,” places special focus on cutting-edge studies on the pathogenic mechanisms in multiple sclerosis (MS), new measures of…

Researchers from Karolinska Institute, Sweden, reported that the immune-associated protein lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is increased in multiple sclerosis, particularly in patients with progressive MS. The researchers, however, concluded that the factor cannot be used as a biomarker for the disease. The study, “Lipocalin-2 is increased in progressive multiple sclerosis…

Dr. Richard Reynolds of Imperial College London spoke of the importance of philanthropy to research during a December 2015 visit from Nigel Furmston, a supporter of multiple sclerosis (MS) research, who came to the Hammersmith Campus to award the scientist and his team £50,000 to continue its work into disease development. Furmston, whose wife Sharon suffers from…

A new source of stem cells, the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the human periodontal ligament (hPDLSCs), offers a potential treatment capable of halting multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. The study, “Alternative source of stem cells derived from human periodontal ligament: a new treatment for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis,” was published…

A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE described a new technique with the potential to spot brain changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) before the onset of symptoms. The technique, which measures brain dynamic activity and brain entropy, may lead to the development of diagnostic — and possibly prognostic —…

Researchers found that a group of untreated patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) carry a specific group of hyperactivated immune cells, the inflammatory CD8+ T cells, suggesting a potential common mechanism contributing to disease pathogenesis. The study, “A Preliminary Comparative…

A research team recently showed that key enzymes of energy metabolism pathways are differentially expressed in active and inactive multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, and may contribute to axonal degeneration in MS. The study, titled “Differential expression of glucose-metabolizing enzymes in multiple sclerosis lesions,” was published in the…

Researchers in the United Kingdom recently discovered that a small molecule triggers the destruction of axons, a phenomenon observed in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is titled “Wallerian Degeneration Is Executed by an NMN-SARM1-Dependent Late Ca2+ Influx but Only Modestly Influenced by Mitochondria” and appears in the journal…

Dr. Jerry S. Wolinsky of the University of Texas in Houston, will give the first Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture at the opening day of the Americas Committee for the Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016 in New Orleans, focusing on distinctions between relapsing and progressive disease forms. ACTRIMS…

The Fifth Tykeson Fellows Conference brought senior multiple sclerosis (MS) scientists together with nearly 100 young research and clinical fellows from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS Society of Canada, and MS International Federation to promote collaboration, networking, and the sharing of research data with the goal of improving patients’ lives and developing…

In a recent study, researchers show how a natural antioxidant within pomegranate seeds is capable of inhibiting demyelination in a mouse model for multiple sclerosis (MS), supporting novel formulations of natural antioxidants as therapeutics for demyelinating diseases. The study, “Treatment of a multiple sclerosis animal model by a novel nano drop formulation of…

In a new study entitled “Transcription factor Nr4a1 couples sympathetic and inflammatory cues in CNS-recruited macrophages to limit neuroinflammation,” a team of scientists discovered the mechanism by which autoreactive T cells are capable of penetrating a patient’s brain and induce multiple sclerosis. The study was recently published in the advance online issue…

Exposure to sunlight may delay the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study from researchers in Denmark. The work, titled “Association between age at onset of multiple sclerosis and vitamin D level–related factors,” appeared October 7, 2015 in the journal Neurology.

A new study entitled “Effect of Smoking Cessation on Multiple Sclerosis Prognosis” recently revealed that smoking by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) post diagnosis accelerates their disease progression course. The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology and was led by researchers at the…

A new study published in the journal Statistical Methods in Medical Research revealed a new method to determine the disease course in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is entitled “Joint assessment of dependent discrete disease state processes” and was conducted by researchers at…

Progressive multiple sclerosis patients treated with AB Science’s lead compound AB07002 (masitinib) in a Phase 3 clinical trial showed positive results in a non futility test (a test to determine if an experimental therapy shows some sign of efficacy). With the successful completion of the futility analysis, AB Science is…