February 12, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Immune cells in MS may enter brain via newly found ‘sewer system’ In neurological inflammatory conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory immune cells may enter the brain through arachnoid cuff exit (ACE) points ā newly discovered structures that normally seem to serve as a type of sewer system in the brain, helping to move out waste. Figuring out exactly how immune…
January 24, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD In MS, diet low in wheat may ease inflammation, improve life quality A diet low in wheat was linked to reductions in circulating inflammatory immune cells and improvements in pain-related life quality among a small group of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to findings from a pilot clinical trial conducted in Germany. The trial’s findings build upon another recent…
October 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Viral protein blocks myelin repair, activates inflammation in models The expression of a viral protein known as W-Env leads to the inflammatory activation of brain cells and impairs myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. “Our study shows that the presence of W-Env in the brains of MS patients appears to generate a…
July 24, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Boosting energy production in nerve fibers may help treat MS In multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammation leads to less energy production in nerve fibers by reducing the levels of enzymes in a key molecular pathway, called the TCA cycle, that cells use to generate energy, a new study shows. These findings imply that boosting activity of the TCA cycle might…
July 13, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Inflammation in brain membranes may act as trigger in MS: Study Inflammation in the membranes around the brain may trigger an inflammatory response that can spread into nearby brain tissue, a new study in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) shows. Researchers say these findings may help to advance scientists’ understanding of the mechanisms that underlie brain damage in…
May 17, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Pro-inflammatory diet linked to relapses after 1st MS attack: Study A more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of relapses and more inflammatory brain lesions for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the years following their first disease attack, according to a recent study. However, dietary intake did not impact disability progression or the volume of lesions with…
April 25, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Possible treatment target in myelin damage, inflammation pathway Damage to the myelin sheath, a hallmark feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), leads to increased levels of fatty molecules called VLCFAs, which are converted by brain cells into an inflammation-driving signaling molecule called S1P, a study suggests. The discovery of this novel molecular pathway may open up new avenues…
April 18, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New formulation of ibudilast found to ease inflammation in MS mice A novel formulation of ibudilast, delivered into the nose, was able to reduce inflammation and prevent nerve damage in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. The nasal formulation also improved regeneration of myelin, the protective sheath around nerve fibers that is progressively lost…
February 27, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: ‘Bacteria X’ in gut microbiome may drive inflammation A certain bacterial species is enriched in the gut of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) and may promote neuroinflammation and drive disability progression in these patients, a study found. When isolated from SPMS patients and given to a mouse model, this strain led to more pronounced neurological…
January 16, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Therapeutic Target for Inflammation Driven by Astrocytes Seen Using a new approach, researchers have identified new signaling molecules that regulate the activation of certain subsets of astrocytes thought to drive inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS). The new methodology, called FIND-seq, enables the selection of single cells from a sample based on the expression of specific genes and…
November 25, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD More Inflammation Biomarkers in Spinal Fluid of PPMS Patients: Study Individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) have significantly higher concentrations of specific inflammation biomarkers in their spinal fluid than healthy people, an exploratory study shows. For most biomarkers, levels in PPMS patients were comparable to or lower than those seen in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
November 11, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Tiziana Planning 2023 Launch of Phase 2 Foralumab Trial in SPMS Tiziana Life Sciences plans to request a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later this year to discuss the upcoming Phase 2 clinical trial of foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). FDA feedback on the design of the…
October 18, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Therapy EHP-101 Boosts Blood Vessel Growth, Targets Inflammation EHP-101, an experimental treatment being clinically tested for multiple sclerosis (MS), activates a cellular signaling pathway that promotes blood vessel development and reduces inflammation following brain injury, a new study shows. The findings continue to support the use of EHP-101 in MS, a condition marked by excess inflammation and…
October 3, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Guar Gum, Type of Dietary Fiber, Eases MS Severity in Mouse Model Guar gum, a type of dietary fiber that can be taken as a supplement, lessened inflammation and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. While fiber-rich diets have long been recommended to improve overall health, these findings help pinpoint which fibers have…
August 3, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Astrocytes May Promote MS Inflammation via D2 Receptors A set of receptors involved in dopamine signaling may play a key role in the activation of astrocytes, nerve support cells that contribute to the inflammation that drives multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study inĀ a mouse model of the neurodegenerative disease. Mice lacking these receptors ā called dopamine…
July 26, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Exercise in Early MS May Ease Mood Disorders via Immune Alterations Exercise prior to being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) was associated with less depression and anxiety among patients, likely due to a reduction in the levels of an inflammatory molecule called interleukin-2 (IL-2), a study revealed. “This finding supports the notion that exercise in the early stages may act…
July 19, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Intermittent Fasting in MS Leads to Immune Cell, Metabolic Changes An eight-week calorie-restricted diet plan ā known as intermittent fasting ā led to immune and metabolic changes among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small pilot clinical trial, data show. The findings could underlie some of the proposed benefits of calorie restriction on MS disease course, the researchers…
May 4, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Maresin-1 Molecule Eases Inflammation, Symptoms in Mouse Model Administering the maresin-1 molecule ā a natural anti-inflammatory in the body ā in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) led to lower levels of inflammation and improved neurological function, a recent study showed. Maresin-1 and other molecules in its family are called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) and are…
March 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS BCG Vaccine for TB Not Linked to MS Risk: Large Canadian Study Getting the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine to protect against tuberculosis (TB) ā an immunization often given to infants and small children in countries where TB is common ā does not decrease a person’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. “Within a large birth cohort…
February 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Immune System ‘Reset’ by Stem Cell Transplant Undergoing a stem cell transplant, a procedure that aims to “reset” a person’s immune system, can reduce relapse rates and ease disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. The findings suggest that such a transplant ā fully, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or aHSCT ā is…
February 2, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD How Eating Meat Affects MS via Gut Microbiome, Immune Cells Detailed A relationship between meat consumption and how it affects gut bacteria, immune cell profiles, and metabolism was identified in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) participating in a small study. Specifically, a diet rich in meat was associated with a decrease inĀ Bacteriodes thetaiotaomicron, a common gut bacteriaĀ that works…
November 5, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Coated Vesicles Found to Safely Reduce Disease Progression in Mice Extracellular vesicles or EVs ā tiny sacs of material excreted by cells ā that have been coated with protein receptors were found to safely reduce disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet, in Sweden, coated these vesicles with receptorsĀ that block pro-inflammatory…
October 27, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cold Eases Inflammation, Disease Severity in MS Mouse Model Colder ambient temperatures may ease the inflammation that drives multiple sclerosis (MS), early research in a mouse model suggests. Animals whose environment for two weeks was set at 10 C (about 50 F) had a “pronounced attenuation” of disease severity and other benefits compared with those kept at a…
October 19, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ECTRIMS2021 ā Problems in Thalamus Linked to Severe Progressive MS Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13ā15. GoĀ here to see the latest stories from the conference. In people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), neuron loss…
September 17, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Rim Lesions, Suggesting Chronic Inflammation, May Be Common An imaging feature called a rim lesion is found in about 4 out of every 10 people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review study. These rims, thought to represent areas of chronic brain inflammation in which myelin is being progressively damaged, may serve as alternate biomarkers of…
September 15, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Chronic Inflammation in MS Linked to Specific Brain Cells in Study An interaction between immune cells and glia cells in the brain, mediated by the C1q complement system protein, appears to drive chronic inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), new research shows. Inhibiting this protein helped to resolve inflammation in mouse models of MS and in tissue cultures, its researchers found.
August 30, 2021 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Landos, Johns Hopkins Partner to Advance Potential MS Oral Therapy Landos BiopharmaĀ hasĀ entered into a research partnership withĀ Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine focused on advancing LABP-66 as a potential oral, once-daily therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other disorders, the company announced. LABP-66 is a lab-made molecule that activates NLRX1, a receptor that is key in…
July 16, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Isoflavone-rich Diet Boosts Gut Health, Lessening MS Severity Isoflavone-rich diets boost gut health and lessen multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, a new study in mice suggests. In the study, mice with MS that were fed a diet rich in isoflavone ā a plant-based compound ā developed diverse and abundant gut bacteria, particularly isoflavone-digesting bacteria, which produced compounds that…
July 12, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Sugar Molecules in Yeast Cells Prevent Inflammation in Mouse Model A component of yeast cell walls ā called MGCP ā prevented disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) by activating anti-inflammatory immune T-cells while suppressing inflammatory T-cells, a study showed. This work also supporting the microbiomeās role in affecting inflammation in autoimmune diseases like MS. “We have…
April 9, 2021 News by Vanda Pinto, PhD Retinal Layer Thickness May Predict MS Progression, Relapses Measurements of the thickness of the eye’s retina ā the layer of nerve cells lining the back of the eye ā could be used to predict disability progression and relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a real-world study from Austria suggests. āOur study shows that both crossectional and…