July 12, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD High Depression Rates in MS Patients Tied to Brain Inflammation in Recent Study Inflammation in a brain region called the hippocampus might explain why patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from depression far more often than patients with other chronic brain diseases. The findings, described in the report āHippocampal Neuroinflammation, Functional Connectivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis,āĀ published in the…
June 1, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Research Australia Supporting Effort to Harness Anti-inflammatory Potential of Parasitic Worms Researchers at theĀ University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ithree instituteĀ are takingĀ a novel approachĀ in an attempt toĀ halt disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). The scientists are planning to explore the anti-inflammatory potential of a controlled infection by parasitic worms as a way of preventing the harmful over-inflammation observed in MS and…
May 18, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Gut Microbiota in Young MS Patients Is Higher in Pro-Inflammatory Bacteria Than Usual, Study Finds Children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) differ from others in the composition of their gut flora, withĀ higherĀ levelsĀ of inflammation-causing bacteria and lower levelsĀ of anti-inflammatory bacteria, according to a study fromĀ Ā theĀ University of British Columbia, Canada. The findings, supportingĀ previous hypothesesĀ that the composition of the gut microbial community could influence the development…
May 11, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Diet Plays a Role in MS Progression Through Its Impact on Astrocytes, Researchers Say Dietary habits and the composition of the gut flora canĀ influenceĀ neuroinflammation and affect the outcome of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in the journalĀ Nature MedicineĀ and titled “Type I interferons and microbial metabolites of tryptophan modulate astrocyte activity and central nervous…
April 26, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cytokine Once Thought Only to Promote Inflammation Now Seen to Have Restorative Properties, Too Researchers at the School of Medicine of the University of California (UC), Riverside, found that TNF-alpha, a factor known for its pro-inflammatory actions, also triggers processes that end inflammation by inducing a type of immune surveillance cell, called M-cells. By advancing our understanding of immune processes, the findingĀ mayĀ lead to…
March 31, 2016 News by admin Diabetic Oral Drugs Like Metformin Eased MS Symptoms in People with Both Diseases, Study Reports New research from Argentina explores the idea that controlling symptoms of type 2 diabetes (metabolic syndrome) can also beneficially impact multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression. The study,“Immunologic Effects of Metformin and Pioglitazone Treatment on Metabolic Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis,“ appeared March 7 in the journal…
March 17, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Research Australia Funds Projects into Targeted Gene Suppression, Drug Delivery Professor Steve Wilton and Dr. Rakesh Veedu from Murdoch Universityās Centre for Comparative GenomicsĀ in Western Australia received project grants of $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, to investigate and develop new methods for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The grants are part of $1.834 million in research fundingĀ givenĀ by MS…
December 17, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Study Uncovers a Process Leading to Neuroinflammation in the Brain In a new study, researchers from the University of Toronto, Canada, uncovered the process behind the formation and maintenance of tertiary lymphoid tissues (TLTs), structures found in the meninges in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Their findings, reported inĀ the article āIntegration of Th17- and Lymphotoxin-Derived Signals Initiates…
December 16, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS May Be Triggered by the Death of Brain Cells Researchers are proposing for a first timeĀ thatĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) is triggered by the death of a specific cell population within the central nervous system called oligodendrocytes. The study, titled āOligodendrocyte death results in immune-mediated CNS demyelination,ā was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Oligodendrocytes,…
December 4, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Brickell Biotech Targeting MS and Other Autoimmune Diseases Brickell Biotech, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developingĀ novel therapies in the field of dermatology, recently announced it has exclusive worldwide rights over a series of new, retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma (RORy) inhibitors from the New York University (NYU) and Orca Pharmaceuticals.Ā As part of the agreement, Brickell will be…
December 3, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD RRMS Clinical Study of New Antibiotic Therapy Nearing End RedHill Biopharma, Ltd., recently announced the conclusion of the last dosing and patient follow-up visit for its Phase 2a proof-of-concept study to assess the efficacy and safety of the experimental drug RHB-104 as an add-on therapy to interferon beta-1a in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
December 1, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National Multiple Sclerosis Society Awards Wisconsin Researcher With Grant To Fuel Promising Study The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ awarded a $700,000 research grant to Dr. Bonnie Dittel, a senior investigator at the BloodCenter of Wisconsin (BCW) and adjunct professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The grant will help Dr. Dittel advance her research into how specific immune cells in the body can…
November 16, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Hypoxia-Measuring Technology in MS Could Be Potential Biomarker for Treatment Responses In a new study entitled āReduced cortical microvascular oxygenation in multiple sclerosis: a blinded, case-controlled study using a novel quantitative near-infrared spectroscopy method,ā a team of researchers at theĀ Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of CalgaryĀ investigated whether frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy technology can measure the potential…
October 27, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Multiple Sclerosis Study Pinpoints B Cell Involvement in Disease Development A recent study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine provided new insights into the role of B cells in multiple sclerosis (MS), and points toĀ aĀ specific line ofĀ possible new therapies. The study is entitled āProinflammatory GM-CSFāproducing B cells in multiple sclerosis and B cell…
October 26, 2015 News by admin Neurons in Multiple Sclerosis Patients May be Protected by Vitamin D A new study from Sweden indicates that vitamin D could help protect nerve cellsĀ (neurons) in multiple sclerosis (MS). The report, titled “Vitamin D and axonal injury in multiple sclerosis,“ was published on October 13, 2015, in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. Scientists have demonstrated, in…
October 14, 2015 News by admin Study Reports No Influence of Vitamin D Supplementation on Inflammation in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis A recentĀ study of people with relapsing remittingĀ multiple sclerosis (RRMS) found thatĀ high-dose oral vitamin D3 supplementation did not influence markers of inflammation. Inflammation is a reaction to bodily injury that may be over-activated in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā The article, titled “Vitamin D supplementation and systemic inflammation in…
July 8, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Mitochondria May Play a Role in MS Development and Progression Recent attention to the role of mitochondria in the etiology of multiple sclerosis (what causes the disease) suggests that mitochondrial defects and mitochondrial structural and functional changes may contribute to the disease. Researchers studying mitochondria in multiple sclerosis believe abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics impact cellular pathways such as inflammation and…
June 4, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Another Study Focused on Stem Cells and Autoimmune Diseases Shows Promise Researchers at Monash University and the MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research in Australia recently proposed that specific human stem cells with immunomodulatory properties represent a new promising therapeutic strategy for diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation and…
May 22, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Identify Potential Cause of Multiple Sclerosis Movement, Balance Problems Researchers inĀ the Department of Immunology at St. Jude Childrenās Research Hospital in Memphis were able to identify a faulty ābrakeā in immune cells which may be involved in theĀ inflammation triggering multiple sclerosis (MS). This brake is believed to be able to control inflammation, offeringĀ the potential for the development of new…
March 23, 2015 News by admin MS Progression May Be Stopped By New Anti-inflammatory Molecule Researchers at theĀ Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the oldest research center in Australia, developed a molecule that may quellĀ inflammation and stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The molecule couldĀ eventually be used as a drug for the disease. MSĀ is an inflammatory autoimmune diseaseĀ in which the body attacks…
December 30, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New MS Study Seeks To Understand How Inflammation Causes Neuronal Damage in Multiple Sclerosis A team of researchers from Italy recently examined if p53 genetic variants influence synaptic and toxic effects of cytokines in the neurodegenerative processes that occurs in Multiple Sclerosis. The study, entitled āInterleukin-1Ī² causes excitotoxic neurodegeneration and multiple sclerosis disease progression by activating the apoptotic protein p53,ā was recently published…