Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms to analyze data collected on a smartphone app could predict whether a person with multiple sclerosis (MS) will experience certain high-severity symptoms in the next three months, a study shows. The scientists believe this will help empower patients to better understand their disease and…
disease progression
Among people in New Zealand, the proportion of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) — the disease’s prevalence, or how common it is — has grown by about one-third in recent decades, a new study found. In 2006, 72.4 of every 100,000 people who lived in the country had MS,…
Almost two years of treatment with fenebrutinib — an investigational oral tablet for multiple sclerosis (MS) — helped patients with relapsing forms of the disease remain nearly free of relapses and disability progression. That’s according to new data from the open-label extension of FENopta (NCT05119569), a Phase…
Pro-inflammatory signaling molecules that have been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS) cause problems with the growth and development of myelin-making cells in the brain, according to a study done in cell models. The findings may have implications for treating MS, as promoting the growth of myelin-making cells could be…
Clemastine fumarate, an antihistamine, boosted disease progression by more than five times in adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 1/2 trial. “Likely nobody in the MS field, us included, knew about this potential [clemastine] toxicity until we collected the data presented here,” the…
Cognitive symptoms, mood disorders, and fatigue manifest differently in relapsing-remitting and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. “[O]ur results indicate that the subtype of MS is associated with … specific kinds of cognitive deficits, suggesting the need for subtype-specific therapeutic interventions,” the France-based research team…
Factors including being male, smoking, and having more frequent relapses are linked to significantly increased risk of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a meta-analysis of several published studies. Other variables linked to disease progression included disability score and the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). “Hence,…
The signaling molecule interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is involved in inflammation, is associated with increasing frailty in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study from researchers in China reported. Elevated levels of IL-6 significantly correlated with higher scores on a frailty index that measures health deficits across multiple domains,…
Treatment with masitinib, an experimental therapy being developed by AB Science for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), reduced markers of nerve damage and inflammation and slowed disease progression in a mouse model of MS. “This study is the first to demonstrate that masitinib can lower serum NfL…
As multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses, the disease may reduce the number of mitochondrial DNA copies, suggesting the number of copies could serve as a biomarker for disease progression and response to treatment. That’s according to a genetic study involving data from thousands of patients of European ancestry. Mitochondria are…
In people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), levels of B-cells can help to predict the risk of progression independent of relapse activity, a new study reports. “Our results unveil a discernible relationship between the degree of B-cell depletion and disease progression in…
Worsening disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with a significantly greater likelihood of losing bone mineral density, which can lead to fractures, a study suggested. “This study provides first evidence for the association of disability worsening and bone density reduction in [people with MS] over a…
Injections of methotrexate into the spinal canal given every three months were safe and well tolerated, and helped adults with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) maintain stable disease levels for up to nine years. That’s according to data from a small, open-label Phase 1 clinical study (NCT02644044)…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experience progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) tend to have greater damage to major white matter tracts, or bundles of nerve fibers that connect different regions of the brain, a new study reports. The findings offer some insights into the biological processes that…
Foralumab was well tolerated in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to data from a small, open-label study conducted under an expanded access program. The therapy, being developed by Tiziana Life Sciences, also eased fatigue and lessened disability in some participants. The promising findings formed…
Certain lesions in the spinal cords of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) show damage to nerve fibers despite having normal myelin, according to a study done on postmortem samples using powerful MRI scans paired with detailed tissue analyses. The identification of these lesions “provides a novel opportunity to detect…
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is investing more than $18 million in new grants and fellowships to support multiple sclerosis (MS) research aligned with its Pathways to Cures initiative, which seeks to stop MS progression, restore lost function, and prevent the disease. This latest round of funding…
Wider rims of immune cells surrounding multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions in the brain and spinal cord are associated with faster disease progression, a new study shows. Monitoring this type of lesion may help track MS disease progression and measure how the disease is responding to treatment, and the…
Vidofludimus calcium, an experimental oral therapy from Immunic Therapeutics, reduced the risk of confirmed disability worsening and slowed brain shrinkage in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to top-line data from CALLIPER (NCT05054140), a Phase 2 clinical trial testing a daily dose of…
A new machine learning tool, a form of artificial intelligence (AI), may accurately detect the transition from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) — and may be able to do so even earlier than clinicians can — a new study showed. According to the…
Early treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) may help protect the cerebellum, a region of the brain that plays a key role in motor coordination, cognitive function, and emotional regulation, from damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggested. Data from the clinical studies that supported Ocrevus’ approval…
The healthcare costs of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are high, according to a real-world study in Spain, and higher still for younger patients and those with severe disability who cannot walk unaided, even for short distances. On average, yearly costs for one patient amount to more than €41,000…
Assessing multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity using Octave Bioscience’s MS Disease Activity (MSDA) blood biomarker test can help guide clinicians’ decisions about care, a study showed. “Our goal is to empower both providers and patients with precision tools that transform MS care,” Doug Biehn, CEO of Octave, said…
Biostate AI is partnering with the nonprofit Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) to develop a series of artificial intelligence (AI) models that can predict multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and how patients may respond to treatment. As part of the partnership, Biostate AI will use its high-throughput technology to…
Frexalimab, an experimental antibody-based medication, was well tolerated and maintained disease control over two years in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from an open-label extension to a Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04879628) in which frexalimab outperformed a placebo at reducing…
Sanofi‘s oral BTK inhibitor tolebrutinib significantly delayed the onset of six-month confirmed disability progression compared with a placebo, by 31%, in people with nonrelapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). That’s according to recently published data from the HERCULES Phase 3 trial (NCT04411641), where the experimental therapy…
A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool called MindGlide can accurately calculate, from a single MRI scan, multiple aspects of brain damage related to multiple sclerosis (MS) — even when employed with routine scans that are not typically used to monitor such damage. The development and validation of the tool…
A small molecule that blocks the activity of a protein called TYK2 in the brain showed promise at reducing disease activity in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. The study was conducted by Neuron23, which is advancing a small molecule TYK2 inhibitor called NEU-627…
Just before a deployment, all the teams in my military unit received a large supply of medical gear that included two medical backpacks, or aid bags. As the team’s medic, I elected not to bring them, because I already had a bag that I liked, and the new ones looked…
Dimika V. Cavalier is shown in a photo she uses for advocacy work. (Photos courtesy of Dimika V. Cavalier) Day 26 of 31 This is Dimika V. Cavalier’s story: My journey with multiple sclerosis (MS) began in my early 30s. I was having episodes of vertigo that would…