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…

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…

Oral administration of trehalose — a sugar molecule found in plants and fungi and reported to have neuroprotective effects — eased symptoms and halted disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). These benefits were associated with a restoration of the ability of microglia (the brain’s immune cells) to break down…

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, “Macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer…

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 — a…

Mavenclad (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…

IC 100, a monoclonal antibody by ZyVersa Therapeutics that prevents the assembly of inflammasomes — a pro-inflammatory cellular complex — lessened inflammation and halted disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study of mice shows.xa The study, “IC100: a novel anti-ASC monoclonal antibody improves functional outcomes…

The MIST Phase 2 clinical trial, supporting the potential of hematopoietic (blood cell-producing) stem cell transplant (HSCT) to significantly slow disability progression in highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, has received a Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research (CR) Forum. Five years after the transplant, most…

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…

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…

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…

The European Commission has approved Novartis‘s Mayzent (siponimod) as the first oral treatment for adults with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Active SPMS is defined by the presence of evident relapses or the detection of inflammatory activity in brain lesions on imaging scans. “As the only indicated oral therapy proven for…

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…

GeNeuro is collaborating with clinical researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Academic Specialist Center (ASC) in Stockholm to open a new clinical trial of temelimab in people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is progressing in the absence of relapses. Fredrik Piehl, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at…

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…

The levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and chitinase3-like1 (CHI3L1) in the cerebrospinal fluid — the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — serve as respective biomarkers of disease activity and progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. Measuring levels of both proteins also helps to…

A genetic variant in the galanin gene (GAL) appears to be a risk factor for more severe multiple sclerosis (MS), nearly doubling the risk of rapidly progressive disease, particularly in patients whose disease onset occurs…

The volume of atrophied (shrunken) regions in the brain, as visible through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, can predict disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research reveals. The finding was published in the journal Radiology in an article titled, “Atrophied Brain T2 Lesion Volume…

Mayzent (siponimod) reduces the risk of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) becoming dependent on a wheelchair, a new analysis of the EXPAND study shows. These findings further corroborate prior trial data demonstrating that Mayzent use delays disability progression and cognitive decline in SPMS patients. The results…

Deferiprone, a compound that lowers iron levels in the bloodstream by binding to iron molecules, can slow progression of a severe neurodegenerative disorder called pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), a study reports. Because a toxic buildup of iron in the brain is also associated with multiple sclerosis and other neurological…

Cyxone submitted an application to the Netherlands research ethics committee to start the first clinical trial in humans testing T20K, its investigational preventive treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Approval by the Netherlands regulating authority…

T20K, Cyxone‘s lead compound for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), seems able to prevent or slow disease progression, according to data from preclinical studies. Based on these findings, the company is confident that T20K might become a prophylactic (preventive) medication for MS in the near future. T20K is a…

Two-year treatment with temelimab reduced brain atrophy, or shrinkage, preserved myelin, and reduced disease progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to findings from an extension study of a Phase 2b clinical trial. Temelimab, previously known as GNbAC1, is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes the MS-associated human…

The evaluation of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be performed without the use of a contrast agent, new research has shown. These findings suggest that routine use of contrast-enhanced MRI is unnecessary for most follow-ups with MS patients, reducing both imaging…

Immunic Therapeutics has enrolled the first patient in its Phase 2 clinical trial testing IMU-838, a potential oral therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) is a next-generation selective modulator of the immune system. It works by inhibiting an enzyme called dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), which plays a role…

Low income and education levels are linked to a higher risk of physical disability and disease progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), study says. The study with that finding, “Socioeconomic status and disability progression in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Neurology. “This study is the…

Subpopulations of oligodendrocytes — cells that produce the myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers — are altered in patients with multiple sclerosis, a study shows. These findings suggest that oligodendrocyte diversity and the different functions of these subpopulations might have a greater role in the disease than previously thought. The severity of MS varies greatly, and the patient's disability level does not correlate well with the degree of myelin loss. This suggests that other factors contribute to MS severity. One such factor may be that oligodendrocytes are heterogeneous — diverse in makeup and function. For example, oligodendrocytes in mouse spinal cords are known to naturally produce longer myelin sheaths than oligodendrocytes in the mouse brain. Additionally, individual oligodendrocytes have been shown to have different molecular makeups. However, the extent of human oligodendrocyte diversity and its possible contribution to MS pathology remains unknown. Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet and the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine studied the differences of individual human oligodendrocytes from healthy and MS brains to assess their diversity. Specifically, the team examined oligodendrocytes from the white matter areas of post-mortem human brains both from MS and non-MS patients. The team examined the RNA content — the messenger molecule carrying instructions from DNA for the production of proteins — from individual oligodendrocytes. Researchers identified groups of RNA molecules that defined features of oligodendrocytes from healthy human white matter. Some of these groups match those that defined oligodendrocytes in healthy mice. Strikingly, some of these RNA molecules in healthy brains were under-represented in oligodendrocytes from MS brains, whereas others were more prevalent. “We found that oligodendrocytes are a diverse population of cells and that different types are likely to have different functions in the brain,” Charles ffrench-Constant, the study's co-lead author, said in a Karolinska Institutet news release written by Katarina Sternudd. These differences in oligodendrocyte RNA content may indicate different functional states of oligodendrocytes in MS lesions. “The proportions of different resident oligodendrocytes in the lesions are changed, along with their properties, suggesting that they might have important roles in MS,” said Eneritz Agirre, PhD, a study co-author. Furthermore, the researchers believe that this altered diversity in oligodendrocytes in MS may be important to understand disease progression and develop therapeutic approaches. “Understanding which types of oligodendrocytes are most beneficial in repairing myelin will be crucial for maximizing the chances of developing much-needed treatments for MS,” said Anna Williams, PhD, study co-lead author. The team concluded that the changes in different oligodendrocyte subpopulations in MS suggest "a more complex role of these cells in the pathology of the disease, but also in regeneration of new cells,” said Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, PhD, another study co-lead author.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant is better than disease-modifying therapies (DMT) at reducing the risk of disease progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), results from the MIST clinical trial show. The study “Effect of Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation vs Continued Disease-Modifying Therapy on Disease Progression…

Risk factors often associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), such as genetic background, obesity and smoking, contribute independently to the disease’s variability and may be an early influence on progression, a study reported. The retrospective study, “Multiple sclerosis risk factors contribute to onset heterogeneity,” was published in the journal …

Smoking and low levels of vitamin D can worsen prognosis for people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), researchers who developed a model for predicting long-term disability progression report. Their study, “Predicting the course of CIS patients adding…