MS lesions

The National MS Society has announced it is funding 13 new research projects that seek to better understand the risk factors involved in multiple sclerosis (MS) development and progression. The funding — nearly $7 million in total — also will go to “rescue” 22 MS-related research projects that…

Lucid-MS, a new chemical molecule being developed by FSD Pharma for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), has shown the ability to restore motor function in an animal model of the disease, the company announced. After about 50 days of treatment, animals receiving Lucid-MS showed a marked decrease…

Aubagio (teriflunomide) failed to significantly reduce relapses in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), but two years of treatment decreased the number of brain lesions on MRI scans, according to the final results of the Phase 3 TERIKIDS clinical trial. Importantly, the lack of a signficantly lower relapse rate…

Mynd Diagnostics is launching a clinical study to test the ability of a blood biomarker, which the company coined Mynd anti-inflammatory peptide (MAP), to help in the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS). Starting in the first quarter of 2022, the company will collect blood samples from diagnosed patients…

Cholesterol made by neurons is crucial for repairing long-term damage to the myelin sheath, the fatty coating around nerve fibers that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new report based on experiments done on mice. The finding suggests that increasing neuronal cholesterol synthesis may be helpful…

The number of lesions affecting the cerebellum — a brain region responsible for coordinating voluntary movements and motor skills such as balance, coordination, and posture — predicts manual dexterity getting worse in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a retrospective analysis. The study, “Cerebellar pathology and…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MSSC) has partnered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) to support a Canadian-led study investigating the earliest predictors of multiple sclerosis (MS) during the so-called prodromal period across diverse groups. A prodrome is a set of signs or symptoms that…

Among people with nervous system damage indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS), but who don’t yet have the disease — a condition known as radiologically isolated syndrome or RIS — the risk of progressing to full-fledged MS is higher for those who are younger, have spinal cord lesions, and have…

I hate the cold. It triggers my bladder and stiffens my legs. When the leaves start to turn in Maryland, I start thinking about the warm weather in Florida. So, I was interested to read research from the University of Geneva that indicates that exposure to cold…

Editor’s note: The 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. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. Certain types of…

Editor’s note: The 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. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. In people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), neuron loss…

Editor’s note: The 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. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. Lesions…

Editor’s note: The 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. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the…

Innodem Neurosciences is teaming up with Novartis Canada on a breakthrough clinical trial to evaluate if Innodem’s digital biomarker eye-tracking technology can monitor disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial will test Innodem’s “easy-to-use, affordable technology,” which works using visible light, with no special infrared…

Deep Brain Stimulation May Help With MS-associated Tremors Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, and in some cases, those with MS who have severe tremors, when other treatments have failed. The treatment involves implanting electrodes in the brain so…

One year of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) treatment does not increase the risk for a rare brain infection — called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) — in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, “Risk Assessment of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy in Multiple Sclerosis Patients during…

Treatment with evobrutinib, an experimental therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), reduced the size of inflammation-associated brain lesions in a Phase 2 clinical trial, data show. The oral medication was also found to be generally safe and well tolerated, according to an analysis of trial data in…

Increasing the activity of a gene called Myc can make oligodendrocyte precursor cells, or the cells that repair myelin, more efficient — “ground-breaking research” that could have implications for advancing MS treatments, according to a new study by Cambridge researchers. The study, “Myc determines the functional age…

In an unexpected discovery, scientists working to understand the biological underpinnings of brain tumors found that increasing the activity of a protein receptor called PDGFRA reduces the production of myelin — the fatty coating that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS) — in the nervous system. “We saw that…

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…

A class of molecules called positive allosteric modulators, or PAMs, may be useful in treating pain caused by nerve damage — a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) — according to a new study that sheds light on how these molecules work. The international team of researchers behind…

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.

In people with early-stage multiple sclerosis (MS), the presence of high levels of neurofilament light chain (sNfL) protein in the bloodstream combined with thinning of the retina is a strong indicator of future disease activity, a recent study demonstrates. “Our findings encourage the application of both sNfL and retinal…

Blocking a particular receptor protein of the BMP signaling pathway effectively promoted the maturation of myelin-producing cells and myelin repair in two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. Notably, these benefits, observed even after disease onset, took place in the presence of fibrinogen, a blood clotting…

Treatment with the diabetes medication metformin was seen to lessen cognitive impairment, improve coordination, and normalize neuronal activity in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study reporting these findings, “Evaluation of the effects of metformin as adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase activator on spatial learning and…

A natural, small molecule called 3-HKA) has shown potent anti-inflammatory activity in lab tests and mouse models of immune-related diseases, a study found. The findings suggest that molecules that mimic 3-HKA (3-hydroxy-L-kynurenamine) may serve as broad-acting therapeutics to protect against inflammation in several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including multiple…

Is orelabrutinib one of the next big MS therapies? Biogen is betting at least $125 million that it is. Orelabrutinib is an experimental oral BTK inhibitor (BTKi). BTKi’s are designed to selectively block an enzyme that’s important for the activation of B-cells and microglia. Some of those immune cells…

People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) in childhood have more difficulty recognizing words and faces than healthy individuals, a small study found. The volume of certain structures of the limbic system — a part of the brain involved in memory and emotion — is smaller in those with MS,…

A signaling protein called fractalkine helps to regulate the development of oligodendrocytes, cells of the nervous system responsible for making myelin — the protecting coating of nerve cell fibers that is damaged and lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). This finding was in the study, “Fractalkine signaling regulates…

Nerve tissue scars associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) show marked differences from those of similar neurodegenerative disorders, according to a recent study. MS-associated inflammation causes brain and spinal cord lesions (nerve tissue scarring) that often are bigger and last longer than those of two other demyelinating diseases: myelin oligodendrocyte…