disease progression

Growing up in a spiritual family, I can remember hearing the words “we are not going to claim it.” These were words of comfort, hope, and support when a catastrophic event was impending. The dictum was to pray, believe in what you pray for, and to “not claim” whatever…

Chemical that Stimulates Estrogen Receptors Seen to Promote Myelin Repair Through ‘Good’ Inflammation in Mouse MS Model Caution: This is only a mouse study. However, anything that might repair the damaged myelin of people with MS catches my eye. In this case, researchers are building on earlier…

A chemical compound called indazole chloride promotes repair of myelin, the protective layer of nerve fibers, through “beneficial” inflammation in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. The preclinical research, “Increase in chemokine CXCL1 by ERβ ligand treatment is a key mediator in…

Age at disease onset, number of early relapses, and the extent of brain damage at baseline can help identify those who are at high risk of progression from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis into the secondary progressive phase of the disease, a new study shows. The study with that finding, “…

A Johns Hopkins University-initiated clinical trial is starting to enroll an estimated 900 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients to assess the benefits of switching therapies to prevent or reduce disability. The TREAT-MS study (NCT03500328) will evaluate whether RRMS patients with disease activity while on a traditional first-line disease-modifying therapy…

Organizations Join Forces to Launch New Adventure Program for Young MS Patients It seems we too often ignore the needs of younger people who have MS. (I’ve written a couple of columns about this.) This program isn’t a medical approach, but it may serve some other…

A potential biomarker — the ratio of antibody proteins in cerebrospinal fluid at the time of diagnosis — was seen to predict which  multiple sclerosis patients will progress into full-blow disability some five years after being diagnosed in a new study. If confirmed in larger clinical studies, this biomarker could to…

Subtle changes in myelin, the protective layer of nerve fibers, may be an early event in multiple sclerosis (MS) prior to the inflammatory reaction, a new University of Calgary study shows. The study, “Biochemically altered myelin triggers autoimmune demyelination,” was published in the journal Proceedings…

For Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month and leading up to May 30, World MS Day,  EMD Serono, Canada, is taking a virtual reality program to three Canadian cities to help educate people about multiple sclerosis and its impact. The biopharmaceutical company wants to help people better understand what it…

Exposure to fracking chemicals during pregnancy may aggravate multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and induce an earlier start of symptoms, a new study in mice suggests. The study, “Developmental Exposure to a Mixture of 23 Chemicals Associated With Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations Alters the Immune System…

One thing we’ve all hoped for with our disease-modifying therapies (DMT) is a treatment that will improve our multiple sclerosis (MS) and not just keep it from worsening. The latest studies presented on Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) hold promise that this treatment may have finally arrived. According to recent reports,…

#AAN2018 – Stem Cell Transplant is Effective Treatment for ‘Aggressive’ MS, Study Shows I like the fact that a study shows that stem cell transplant treatment is effective for aggressive MS. I love the fact that the efficacy was dramatic, reducing the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) levels…

A new American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guideline recommends that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in general be counseled to start treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as early as possible. Considerations on switching and stopping treatments are also presented in the guideline. The report, “Practice guideline recommendations…

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has just released some new guidelines about when to begin, change, and end disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that are used to treat MS patients. The guidelines, published on April 23, encourage aggressive treatment when symptoms of MS first appear. They’re also patient-centric. And…

Novartis’ investigational oral treatment siponimod (BAF312) reduces the risk of disability progression in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a new analysis of Phase 3 trial results show. Using what the company describes as more accurate methods to assess siponimod effect’s on progression risk, necessary because the…

Multiple sclerosis in African-Americans progresses much faster than in Caucasian patients, new research reports, suggesting that blacks would benefit from a more aggressive treatment approach. Led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting taking place in Los Angeles through…

At times I find myself speaking of and referencing my life before my MS diagnosis. My thoughts led to the creation of the following epistle. I believe that words are curative and the spirit absorbs what we speak. As you read my letter to multiple sclerosis, remember that you…

5 MS Patients Across US Talk About How Ocrevus Has Changed Their Lives There’s high interest in Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), one of two disease-modifying therapies that have shown promise for reversing some multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. (The other is Lemtrada.) So, I’m including this article. Keep in mind,…

There is no guidebook to living with a chronic, progressive, and incurable disease. Even if such a book existed, it would only be somewhat applicable, as things change on a daily basis. We are all as unique as this disease, yet have one commonality: pain. Before my multiple sclerosis…

Levels of a protein stemming from brain cell damage can mirror the severity and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, an analysis of combined data from three trials showed. Researchers will present this and related findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Los Angeles, April 21-27. The…

Beginning treatment early with disease-modifying therapies is the most effective approach to prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) progression in patients, a large-scale study suggests. Data from the Danish study will be presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), taking place April 21-27…

With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe, quoth the Lemmie, “Nevermore.” As I write this, the final brown bag of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) has just begun to drip into a vein in my left arm. If all goes “as advertised,” this will be the final disease-modifying therapy I’ll ever receive.

Novartis‘ siponimod (BAF312) can reduce blood levels of a biomarker of nerve cell damage in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a Phase 3 clinical trial shows. Researchers will present the latest results of the ongoing trial at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Academy…

People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have more cognitive decline than those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a Greek study. The finding confirmed a long-held assumption that the more progressive form of the disease — SPMS — also involves more cognition problems. Some previous research has confirmed that…

Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letters “U” through “Z.” This is the last post in this series.  Symptoms of MS Uhthoff’s phenomenon People with MS are often heat-sensitive and experience overheating due to…

Today is Walk MS, and for the first time since my diagnosis, I am not there. While I am not one to feel sorry for myself, this stings. I miss being among the sea of impassioned orange warriors. I miss the tears that fall as cheers accompany me through…

As you read this, I likely will be in the middle of, or finished with, my second round of Lemtrada (alemtuzumab). Hopefully, this will be the final round of this disease-modifying therapy (DMT), and the final MS treatment of any kind, for me. Though some have required more,…

A new company called Pipeline Therapeutics will focus on developing next-generation therapies for regenerating the key nerve-protection process that is damaged in multiple sclerosis. Roche, Inception Sciences, and the venture capital firm Versant Ventures laid the groundwork for Pipeline by establishing a partnership in June 2014 that formed the…

In the first year after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1997, Ann Borsellino basically withdrew from life, rarely even leaving her bedroom. Knowing little about the disease, she assumed its relapses would soon rob her of any control over her body. They didn’t, and now Borsellino is involved with…

A lot of people with multiple sclerosis take disease-modifying therapies to reduce the inflammation associated with the disease — but in many patients, the treatments’ effectiveness wanes at a certain points. When that occurs, the question is whether to stop taking these treatments, known as DMTs. A study reports that patients’…