February 7, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Discovery of Immune Cell Subtypes in Mice is an MS ‘Breakthrough,’ Researcher Says Previously unknown immune cell subtypes are present in the inflamed brain of mice models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. According to the researchers, these subsets of myeloid cells (cells derived from hematopoietic stemĀ cellsĀ in the bone marrow) can offer a strong basis for therapeutic targets in neuroinflammatory and…
December 20, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Genetic Variant Linked to MS Affects More Than Immune Cells, Study Finds A genetic variant associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) due to its impact on certain immune system cells can also affect brain cells called astrocytes, a study shows. Reported in the study, āEnhanced astrocyte responses are driven by a genetic risk allele associated with multiple…
December 18, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cell Recycling Process Helps Trigger Immune Attack on Protective Nerve Cell Protein Myelin A cell recycling process helps trigger an immune response against myelin, the protective layer covering nerve cell axons to aid in signal transmission, a multiple sclerosis (MS) study indicates. WhenĀ University of ZurichĀ researchers eliminated the process, mice developed much milder forms of an MS-like disease. Loss of myelin is the…
August 25, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Inflammation by Changing Immune Cell Processes, Study Suggests Omega-3 fatty acids might reduce inflammatory processes by boosting a mechanism that cleans out dysfunctional or unnecessary proteins in a certain type of immune cells, according to a study published in the journal Autophagy. These insights indicate that omega-3 supplements might be beneficial for certain multiple sclerosis (MS) patients,…
June 5, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Researchers Develop New Method to Specifically Target Immune Cells that Trigger MS, Other Autoimmune Processes Researchers atĀ Cincinnati Childrenās Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) have developed a new experimental method to specifically target unwanted activation of the immune system without the toxicity of current immunoregulatory drugs. According toĀ the study āManipulating DNA damage-response signaling for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases,ā published in the journalĀ …
May 4, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cytomegalovirus Infection Worsens Multiple Sclerosis, Study in Mice Shows A cytomegalovirus infection triggers an increase in inflammatory and cytotoxic immune cells in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS), which leadsĀ to enhanced inflammation and loss of nerve-protecting myelin. The study, āCytomegalovirus infection exacerbates autoimmune mediated neuroinflammation,ā was published in the journal Scientific Reports. A cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection…
May 3, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Smoking Reduces Levels of Circulating Immune Cells that Protect Against MS, Other Autoimmune Diseases Smoking can killĀ off the immune cells that commonly protect people from multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, say researchers at the University of CopenhagenĀ ā a finding that may lead to new ways of treating such illnesses. TheirĀ study, āSmoking reduces circulating CD26hiCD161hi MAIT cells in healthy…
April 7, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Exposure to Antibiotics Early in Life May Increase Risk for MS and Other Inflammatory Diseases, Study Suggests The use of antibiotics in childhood, whichĀ alters the microbiome ā or natural bacteria flora in the gut ā may increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases, according to an Australian study. The mouse study, āEarly-life antibiotic treatment enhances the…
November 23, 2016 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc New Research into T-cells May Lead to Immune-based Therapies for MS, Other Diseases A recent study published in Nature CommunicationsĀ showed, for the first time, that a protein complex called LUBAC is responsible for controlling the late-stage development of immune T-cells before they are released into the bloodstream. Several types of cells compose the immune system, working together to fight infections or cancer.
July 26, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Queenās University Belfast Awarded Ā£2M in Bid to Reverse Myelin Damage in MS Researchers at Queenās University BelfastĀ are studyingĀ how myelin might be repaired, in an attempt to reverse the damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS). The more than Ā£2 million, five-year research grantĀ is jointly funded by Ā the Wellcome Trust, in its first Investigator AwardĀ forĀ Northern Ireland, and by theĀ BBSRC, the Biotechnology and Biosciences…
July 22, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Antibody Created in Lab Treats MS in Mice by Preventing Immune Cells from Piercing Blood-Brain Barrier Building on work began in stroke studies and applying it to multiple sclerosis, researchers in France report that an antibody they developed kept the blood-brain barrier intact in cellular and mice MS modelsĀ despite the presence of inflammation, preventing immune cells from entering the brain. The key to understanding the study…
April 22, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Biogen and AbbVie Present New Data Showing Zinbryta, an RRMS Drug Candidate, Aids Cognition Without Immune Depletion New data presented byĀ BiogenĀ andĀ AbbVieĀ at the recent 68th annual meeting of theĀ American Academy of Neurology (AAN) showed that ZinbrytaĀ (daclizumab high-yield process) improved cognitive outcome measures in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). Additional results ā from post-hoc analyses of clinicalĀ trials ā also offer a better…
November 24, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Patients on Salt-heavy Diets Risk Inflammation Findings from two studies, recently published in theĀ Journal of Clinical Investigation, indicate that high levels of salt alter the stability of the immune system and make it more susceptible to inflammation. The studies, which were led by Dr. David Hafler from Yale University and Dr. Dominik…
November 13, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Could Remyelination Be Achieved in MS Using an Anti-Inflammatory Treatment? In a recent study entitled āPromotion of Remyelination by Sulfasalazine in a Transgenic Zebrafish Model of Demyelination,ā researchers investigated whetherĀ sulfasalazine treatment, an anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating drug, could promote remyelination of axons in an organism model of demyelination diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published in the…
November 6, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Insights Into Immune Cells’ Behavior in MS May Lead To New Therapeutic Approach In a recent study entitled āMicroRNA expression profiling of human blood monocyte subsets highlights functional differences,ā a team of researchers discovered a pool of 66 microRNAs that underlie differences in phenotype and function of a group of immune cells with key roles in multiple sclerosis. The study was published…