MS lesions

More than half of people with brain imaging changes akin to multiple sclerosis (MS) go on to develop the disease within 10 years, a global study of those with radiologically isolated syndrome reported. Progression to MS appears to be more likely in those who are younger, have spinal…

JuneBrain, a startup company that is developing a wearable head imaging device that enables multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to remotely monitor their disease activity and treatment response, has received a $50,000 investment through TEDCO’s Builder Fund, the investor announced. MS is caused by inflammation in the…

Loss of myelin in nerve cell fibers — the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) — leads to a shortage of mitochondria, a cell’s powerhouse, denying these damaged fibers the energy they need to work as intended, a new study shows. Boosting the migration of mitochondria to affected nerve…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $7.2 million grant to a team led by Cleveland Clinic researchers that will study whether a new biomarker might more accurately diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). Grant money will support a study in 400 adults suspected of having MS to determine if the…

ERT, which specializes in clinical trial data collection, announced it has acquired APDM Wearable Technologies (APDM), a provider of wearables and digital biomarkers, to improve the accuracy of key efficacy measures used in clinical studies of multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, and other movement disorders. A…

After repeated exposure to a fragment of the myelin protein — the target of autoimmune attack in multiple sclerosis (MS) — immune cells in mice were reprogrammed to be tolerant to myelin, suppressing the immune response associated with the disease, a study revealed.  Researchers showed that in these…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum post “Number, Location, Size of Lesions on MRI Can Predict Progression to MS,”…

Diagnostic guidelines for multiple sclerosis (MS) should be amended to first rule out the presence of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a neurological inflammatory disease that also affects the brain and spinal cord, a study recommends. The study, “Can a Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis Be…

Higher blood levels of the neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein at diagnosis are predictive of worse disability over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a large population study from Sweden suggests. The study, “Plasma neurofilament light levels are associated with the risk of disability in…

Movements that are an act of “learning” motor tasks after lesions appear in the protective myelin sheath of neurons seem to induce both new and existing oligodendrocytes — the cells that make up myelin — to repair those lesions, a study in mice shows. Precisely timed rehabilitation programs and exercise may…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases have a significantly higher aluminum content in their brains than those with no known neurological impairment and no identifiable neurodegenerative disease, a recent study found. The research further supports a role of aluminum in the development of these brain conditions,…

In the brains of people with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), memory immune cells reside in the brain tissue rather than entering through the bloodstream, a new study suggests. The study, “Tissue-resident memory T cells invade the brain parenchyma in multiple sclerosis white matter lesions,” was published…

Targeting the MOSPD2 protein may prevent immune cells known as monocytes from entering the central nervous system (CNS), which may significantly ease brain inflammation and myelin damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in mice suggests. VBL Therapeutics, the company leading the study, has developed…

Neuroscientist Ian D. Duncan has been awarded the 2020 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for work that advanced understanding of how myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve cells, can be repaired in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). “Professor Duncan has made a series of critical research advances…

IC 100, a monoclonal antibody by ZyVersa Therapeutics that prevents the assembly of inflammasomes — a pro-inflammatory cellular complex — lessened inflammation and halted disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study of mice shows.xa The study, “IC100: a novel anti-ASC monoclonal antibody improves functional outcomes…

Altered levels of molecules important for cell regulation — called microRNAs — have been found in specific immune cells isolated from the blood of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reveals. These immune cells, called monocytes, transform into macrophage cells,…

A new tiny sensor is able to detect antibodies against myelin, the protective coating of nerve cell axons whose destruction is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially allowing for a diagnosis in early disease stages, researchers report. It also offers the possibility of distinguishing multiple sclerosis from neuromyelitis optica, a…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are obese experience a faster degeneration in their optic nerve tissue than those of normal weight, a study found. Since optic neuropathy correlates with greater nerve cell loss in the brain, tracking changes to the retina may be a feasible way to determine…

The investigational, oral BTK inhibitor SAR442168 can limit the number of new inflammatory brain lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), results from a Phase 2b clinical trial show. “The results of this study give hope that SAR442168 may become an important…

People in Japan with lesions in the cerebral cortex due to multiple sclerosis (MS) were found to have greater cognitive problems, or difficulties thinking, than those without lesions in this area of mostly gray matter that surrounds the brain, a study reports.  Lesions confined to the…

A high genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with structural alterations in white matter — brain regions composed mainly of nerve fibers — in childhood, findings from a large study show. Brain volume, however, was not affected by genetic risk in the more than 2,000 children whose…

Ursolic acid, a compound found in some herbs and in the peels of certain fruits, promoted nerve cell repair and restored the myelin sheath covering and protecting nerve endings in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Due to its strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory…

The small variants seen in the DNA code among individuals may affect the ability of oligodendrocytes to produce myelin, the protective coat surrounding neurons and whose destruction is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. These findings open the possibility of new therapeutic options that target the…

A nerve cell protein found in the blood shows potential as a biomarker of neuroinflammation and future neurodegeneration in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. The protein, called serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), is a known marker of injury to axons (nerve…

Ethnicity does not seem to have an influence on the degree of cognitive impairment seen in patients at the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a U.S.-based study suggests. The study, “Race, ethnicity, and cognition in persons newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the…

Oral treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) is more effective than Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for controlling brain lesion activity and brain volume loss in children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), two-year results of the PARADIGMS study show. That means Gilenya provides an effective treatment option for…

An multi-sensor band worn on the arm or leg, called Myo, can capture and relay difficulties with limb movement due to multiple sclerosis (MS) with an accuracy that mirrors gold standard measures of disability, like the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), a study reports. These findings support the…

CorTechs Labs presented new data indicating that machine learning models based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain may aid in the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Company representatives, joined by other experts, also released updated recommendations for a standardized…

A protein called dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) is key for the development and expansion of self-reactive immune T-cells that wrongly attack myelin, a study in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) found. DOCK8 drives the migration and stimulating capacity of dendritic cells — immune cells that ‘teach’…

Specific mutations in genes that provide instructions to make two proteins —  called C3 and C1q — are linked to increased severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research. The new finding will be presented by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researcher Peter Calabresi, MD, during…