June 13, 2024 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Foralumab eases inflammation in 80% of nonactive SPMS patients Most patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who took foralumab nasal spray for at least six months saw a decrease in microglial activity in their brains, according to its developer Tiziana Life Sciences. The results were gleaned from PET imaging data from 10 nonactive SPMS patients…
March 12, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS lesions may start as small clumps of microglia in patient’s brain In multiple sclerosis (MS), lesions in the brain may start with small clusters of immune cells called microglia, a new study reveals. Scientists are working to understand exactly how these small clusters may develop into MS lesions, which they hope could uncover new targets for treating the disease.
January 16, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD $24M in financing to advance treatments to protect myelin sheath Myrobalan Therapeutics has secured $24 million in series A financing to support the development of oral medications for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), which comprises the brain and spinal cord. The companyās pipeline currently includes three candidate therapies…
January 10, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Foralumab nasal spray shown to ease fatigue in nonactive SPMS Six of eight patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) being treated with foralumab nasal spray ā all part of an intermediate-size expanded access program (EAP) allowing the therapy’s use ā have experienced reductions in their fatigue levels. That’s according to treatment developer Tiziana Life Sciences,…
October 19, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Foralumab seen to ease brain inflammation in SPMS Six months of treatment with foralumab, administered into the nose, led to decreases in microglial activity in five of six people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) involved in an expanded access program. Microglia are resident immune cells in the brain believed to play a role in driving…
June 7, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Molecular mechanisms help drive microglia problems in brain in MS Disease-associated inflammatory activity of microglia ā a type of immune cell with a central role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā is driven in part by molecular mechanisms that are activated when microglia try to clear the corpses of dead myelin-making cells. That’s according to a new…
March 2, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2023: Certain eye cells tied to MS-related changes in study Certain cells in the eyes ā specifically blood vessel cells and a type of neurological immune cell called microglia ā exhibit high expression or activity of genes that have been linked to multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports.Ā The researchers also “identified…
June 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS 2nd SPMS Patient Sees Clinical Gains With Foralumab Treatment Treatment with foralumab nasal spray resulted in marked clinical improvements after three months in the second secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patient treated under a single-patient access program. The findings were generally consistent with those seen in the first SPMS patient and supported a decision by the U.S. Food…
June 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cancer Therapy Topotecan Could Be Repurposed to Treat MS: Study A medication currently approved to treat certain kinds of cancer, called topotecan, could be repurposed for treating neuroinflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) because it reduces the inflammatory activity of immune cells called microglia. That’s according to the study, “Myeloid cell-specific topoisomerase 1 inhibition using DNA origami…
May 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Treatment With XPro1595 Promotes Remyelination in Mouse Model The experimental therapy XPro1595 was found to promote remyelination ā the repair of the myelin sheath ā in a mouse model of myelin loss, new data show. Myelin, the fatty covering that helps nerve fibers send electrical signals, is damaged by the immune system inĀ …
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…
October 19, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ECTRIMS2021 ā Nrg-1-treated Immune Cells Can Promote Myelin Repair 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 hereĀ to see the latest stories from the conference. A…
October 8, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Hydroxychloroquine Shows Potential to Treat PPMS in Phase 2 Trial Treatment with hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria medication, appeared to help slow disability progression among people with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in a small, proof-of-concept clinical trial. Hydroxychloroquine “is a promising treatment candidate for PPMS and should be investigated further in randomized controlled clinical trials,” its researchers wrote. Results ofĀ the study…
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.
July 6, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Scientists ID 2 Brain Cells Likely Involved in Nerve Cell Repair Researchers have identified a molecular switch that awakens stem cells in a specific region of the mouse brain ā 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…
May 25, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Prize Awarded to Researcher of Microgliaās Role in Brain Diseases A professor at the University of Freiburg, in Germany,Ā was awarded the Novo Nordisk Prize for his research into the role of microglia in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer’s disease, and how they might be used as early warning signs of these disorders. Marco Prinz, MD,…
April 8, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mertk Gene Plays Key Role in Myelin Repair, Mouse Study Finds A gene called Mertk has important roles in the repair of myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects neurons and that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were published inĀ Cell Press, in the study “Multiple sclerosis risk gene Mertk is required for…
February 19, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD MS-linked Molecule IL-17 Impaired Immune Cells in Mice’s Brains Sustained, excessive levels of interleukin 17A (IL-17A) ā a pro-inflammatory molecule linked to multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) and other autoimmune diseases ā reduce the number and activity of the brainās immune cells in the dentate gyrus, according to a study in mice. The dentate gyrus is part of the hippocampus, a…
January 4, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Boosting Cholesterol Recycling in Brain Facilitates Myelin Repair, Study Says New research in mice suggests that poor recycling of cholesterol in the brain impairs the repair of myelin, the protective coat surrounding nerve cells that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). Pharmacological stimulation of cholesterol synthesis by brain immune cells ā called microglia ā boosted the regeneration of myelin,…
October 21, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Immune Cellsā Ability to Clear Myelin Debris Is Potential Therapeutic Approach for MS, Mouse Study Shows Oral administration ofĀ trehaloseĀ ā a sugar molecule found in plants and fungi and reported to have neuroprotective effects ā eased symptoms and halted disease progression in a mouse model ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). These benefits were associated with a restoration of the ability ofĀ microgliaĀ (the brainās immune cells) to break down…
September 11, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Tolebrutinib Prevents Myelin Loss in Mouse Model of MS-like Demyelination Tolebrutinib (SAR442168), an investigational oral BTK inhibitorĀ to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), was seen to prevent the loss of myelinĀ when given to a mouse model of demyelination in a preclinical study. The investigative therapy achieves this by preventing…
September 11, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Roche Launches Phase 3 Clinical Program to Test Fenebrutinib Roche has launched a Phase 3 clinical trial program to evaluate fenebrutinib, its investigational oral BTK inhibitor, in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS). Data on fenebrutinibās potency and selectivity, as well as the design of the clinical…
August 10, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Immune Cell Protein CD36 Shows Potential as Therapeutic Target, Study Suggests For the first time, scientists have shown that a protein known as CD36 on the surface of some immune cells is crucial for clearing myelin debris and suppressing nerve cell inflammation in disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new…
April 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Scientists Build Map of Toxic Immune Cells Contributing to Neurodegeneration in MS Scientists have built a map of the toxic immune cells that contribute to neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā Their findings may open the door to the development of new medications that protect the brain from the effects brought on by these harmful immune cells. Results were reported in the study,…
February 3, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Interaction Between Different Immune Cells May Lead to New MS Therapies, Study Suggests Scientists discovered new interaction between immune cells from the central nervous system (CNS) ā consisting of the brain and spinal cord ā and immune cells from the blood that may lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases.
January 23, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD Gene Therapy Recovers Vision in Mice Models of MS, Uncovers How Neuron Connections Are Destroyed Early research in animal models and human samples reveals how loss of communication between nerve cells contributes to the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and shows how gene therapy could be used to preserve such connections and protect againstĀ vision loss. Researchers say their work identifies a…
December 5, 2019 News by Alejandra Viviescas, PhD 3D Nerve Cell Models of PPMS, Parkinson’s Ready for Liftoff to Space Station for Long-term Study in Microgravity The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and Aspen NeuroscienceĀ will send three-dimensional brain cell models of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)Ā and Parkinsonās disease to the International Space Station (ISS) for the…
October 1, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Detailed Genetic Map Implicates Broad Immune Cell Involvement in MS, Reports Risk Variant in X Chromosome A new large-scale genetic map implicates broad immune system dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests a key role of brain immune cells called microglia, and indicates an MS-related gene variant located in the X chromosome. Altogether, the findings ā the result of the largest reported study…
August 6, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Research Underway on Space Station Looking at Cellular Triggers of MS and Parkinson’s An ongoing experiment at the International Space Station may help identify triggers for multiple sclerosis (MS) andĀ Parkinson’s disease by studying how nerve cells and immune cells interact when exposed to microgravity. Using patient-derived cells, researchers will study the way nerve cells grow, survive, and change their gene…
July 22, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Microbes in Gut Protect Nervous System After Viral Infections, Study Suggests Gut microbes prime immune cells called microglia to protect the brain and nervous system from neurological damage due to viral infections, according to new research in mice. The findings suggest that maintaining a healthy and diverse microbiota ā the population of bacteria, fungi, and viruses within the body, especially the…