Glial cells, which mostly support the function of nerve cells, play key roles in multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression and development, according to a stem cell-based study. “Most research and therapeutic strategies have so far focused on blocking the overactive immune system, but how cells in the brain itself,…

INmune Bio‘s experimental therapy XPro1595 may promote myelin restoration through the activation of two types of nervous system support cells, according to new data that may lead to novel treatment strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. The findings highlight the activation of microglia, key…

Researchers have identified a molecular switch that awakens stem cells in a specific region of the mouse brain — and with their activation, two new types of glia, non-neuronal cells that play critical roles in brain function, also were discovered. Notably, the development of these new glial cell types also…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has granted its International Progressive MS Alliance (Alliance) Research Challenge Awards to 19 researchers for their work on progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Among them is Jennifer Gommerman, PhD, a professor at the University of Toronto, in Canada, who will use…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “How the Blood Brain Barrier May Thwart MS Progression” from Feb. 9, 2017. What…

Non-viral vehicles, called niosomes, can deliver DNA to glial cells in the central nervous system, a new study shows. The findings open new avenues for gene therapy and the treatment of neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The study “Non-viral vectors based on cationic niosomes as efficient gene delivery…

Coming down with the flu can provoke relapses in multiple sclerosis patients by activating glial cells that surround and protect nerve cells. In a study in mice, scientists found that activated glial cells increase the levels of a chemical messenger in the brain that, in turn, triggers an immune reaction and, potentially, autoimmune attacks. The flu is caused by the human influenza virus and, despite being unpleasant, usually resolves itself within days. However, for people with MS and other neurological conditions, the flu can lead to disease relapse. Researchers at the University of Illinois investigated what happens in the brain of MS patients during upper-respiratory viral infections, such as the flu. "We know that when MS patients get upper respiratory infections, they're at risk for relapse, but how that happens is not completely understood," Andrew Steelman, an assistant professor at the university and the study's senior author, said in a press release. "A huge question is what causes relapse, and why immune cells all of a sudden want to go to the brain. Why don't they go to the toe?" The team used a mouse model characterized by autoimmune responses within the brain and spinal cord — the type of deregulated immune responses seen in MS patients. Researchers infected the animals with a version of human influenza virus adapted to mice, and looked at changes that occurred in the animal’s central nervous system. While the virus was never detected in the animals' brains, upon infection some of the mice developed MS-like symptoms. "If you look at a population of MS patients that have symptoms of upper respiratory disease, between 27 and 42 percent will relapse within the first week or two," Steelman said. "That's actually the same incidence and timeframe we saw in our infected mice, although we thought it would be much higher given that most of the immune cells in this mouse strain are capable of attacking the brain." The team then investigated how a peripheral influenza infection could contribute to disease onset. They infected a wild-type (normal) strain of mice with the flu virus and looked at alterations in the brain and spinal cord. Scientists found that infection increased the activation of glial cells in the mice's brains. Moreover, it induced infiltration of several immune cells — T-cells, monocytes and neutrophils — into the brain within eight hours of infection. Overall, these findings suggest that the chemokine CXCL5 plays a key role in mediating an autoimmune attack in MS, and might be explored for therapeutic potential.

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with the second of two columns about terms starting with the letter “G.” Read more “G” terms here.) Mastering an understanding of multiple sclerosis means you need to mind your Ps…

A cell therapy intended to boost myelin regeneration — Q-Cells by Q Therapeutics — has received a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed with a clinical trial in patients with transverse myelitis (TM), a disease that like multiple sclerosis is characterized by myelin damage. FDA approval of the company’s Investigational New…

Researchers have discovered that glial cells can also participate in pain sensation and enhance it in several disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “Gliogenic LTP spreads widely in nociceptive pathways,” was published in the journal Science. Our sensation of pain is processed in the brain…

The upcoming 9th annual “Glial-neuronal Interactions in Health and Disease” symposium will bring together nearly 200 neuroscientists — focused on neuron and glial cell interaction and its affect on diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) — to discuss the latest findings in this area of brain research. The daylong symposium is to be held…