MS lesions

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 topic “How the Blood Brain Barrier May Thwart MS Progression” from Feb. 9, 2017. What…

The pro-inflammatory protein interleukin-17 (IL-17) drives inflammation by promoting a chemical modification, called phosphorylation, in the RNA molecule of the regnase-1 enzyme, a mouse study shows. These findings support the development of therapeutics that block the phosphorylation of regnase-1 to halt IL-17-mediated inflammation, as seen in multiple…

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada closed its celebration of multiple sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month by launching the Acts of Greatness campaign that aims to raise $75 million to support research about the disease. The campaign was activated May 24 with the placements of five-meter decals…

Biopharmaceutical company Celgene has teamed up with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) to launch a new initiative called MS MindShift: A New View of MS, aimed at educating the multiple sclerosis (MS) community on brain health. Although it’s an “important topic,” brain health “is not…

Investigational therapy evobrutinib, also known as M2951, can reduce relapse rates and brain lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), 48-week data from a Phase 2 clinical trial suggest. Updated results from the trial (NCT02975349) were presented at the recent 2019 annual…

Lyfebulb and Celgene have announced the 10 finalists who will compete for a $25,000 grant to support the development of their innovative proposals that address an unmet need in multiple sclerosis (MS).  The Lyfebulb-Celgene 2019 “Addressing Unmet Needs in MS: An Innovation Challenge,” will take…

Quanterix is leading the research presented at this year’s American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, validating the use of neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The company…

Treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) lowers the levels of the biomarker serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to data from a Phase 3 trial. Findings also revealed that higher levels of sNfL correlated with MS lesions and disease activity prior to starting the…

Giving estrogen to two different adult mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), including the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model, promoted remyelination, a new study shows. Exposure to the hormone affected gene activity in oligodendrocytes, tricking them into producing myelin (the fatty substance that protects nerve cells, and that is destroyed…

People who cover medical issues often write about mouse studies. These stories can regularly be found on traditional news outlets, both broadcast and print, as well as online platforms. That includes the website on which you’re reading this column. I’m one of the mouse study writers, though I try…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has recently awarded $24.4 million in grants to support 64 research projects on multiple sclerosis (MS) worldwide, including $750,000 to fund 14 high-risk, high-reward pilot projects that will test new ideas and seek answers to new and relevant questions. According to a society…

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 topic “Gadolinium – The contrast agent used in MRI scans,” from April 10,…

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), the cells responsible for myelin production, are unable to migrate into sites of myelin loss in the brain. These cells then cluster and disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB), triggering an inflammatory process in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. The study, “Aberrant oligodendroglial–vascular interactions disrupt the blood–brain barrier, triggering CNS inflammation,” was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. MS is an autoimmune disease characterized by the loss of myelin (demyelination) — the fat-rich substance that protects nerve fibers — which leads to neurodegeneration. Along with loss of myelin, researchers have observed that the blood-brain barrier — a highly selective membrane that shields the central nervous system with its cerebrospinal fluid from the general blood circulation — breaks down in the initial stages of disease. A team led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have now discovered that OPCs are involved in the disruption of the blood-brain barrier in MS, according to a press release from the National MS Society, which funded the study. Oligodendrocytes are myelin-producing cells and are responsible for myelinating the nerve cells’ axons — a single oligodendrocyte is capable of myelinating multiple axons. Mature myelin-producing oligodendrocytes develop from more immature, stem cell-like OPCs. In a normal brain, upon myelin loss, OPCs are called into action and travel into the damage site where they mature and generate myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. In this study, the researchers found that OPCs in MS form clusters in blood vessels of the brain-blood barrier, having lost the ability to detach from these vessels and migrate to injury sites. In an animal model of MS, they saw that OPC aggregates altered the location of other cells — called astrocytes — in a competition for space, and contributed to the disruption of blood vessels. Astrocytes are a group of star-shaped cells, belonging to the group of glial cells, that provide neurons with energy, and work as a platform to clean up their waste. They also have other functions within the brain, such as regulating blood flow and inflammation. The team also observed that OPC aggregates trigger an immune inflammatory response, shown by a large number of microglia (the central nervous system immune cells) and immune cells called macrophages around these cell clusters. “We find in several MS cases, in lesion areas with active inflammation, that OPCs can be found clustered on vasculature, representing a defect in single cell perivascular migration and inability to detach from blood vessels,” the researchers wrote. Further molecular analysis revealed that OPCs have high levels of Wnt signaling, and elevated secretion of Wif1 factor to the extracellular space that could explain why OPCs accumulate and destroy the blood-brain barrier. The WiF1 factor is actually a negative regulator of Wnt signaling that is essential for the maintenance of the blood-brain barrier structure. This factor competes with Wnt ligands, and affects the integrity of cellular junctions, making the blood-brain barrier more fragile and permeable. "Evidence for this defective oligodendroglial–vascular interaction in MS suggests that aberrant OPC perivascular migration not only impairs their lesion recruitment but can also act as a disease perpetuator via disruption of the BBB,” the researchers wrote. They suggested that more studies are needed to better understand the interactions between blood vessels and oligodendrocytes, which could help identify new therapeutic targets for promoting myelin repair in MS.

A new web portal called Talk2Me that detects early changes in language could help doctors diagnose or determine progression in neurodegenerative disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS), the scientists who created it suggest. The open platform portal, which gathers language data through an array of cognitive tasks performed…

This year’s John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research is being awarded to Anne H. Cross, a neurologist and MS chair in the department of neuroimmunology at  Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, for her research into the role of immune B-cells in multiple sclerosis attacks and new imaging…

A protein that promotes nervous system repair through remyelination — the creation of myelin, the protective sheath around nerve cells — in mice also is found in remyelinating plaques in brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, new research shows. This protein potentially represents a new therapeutic target in demyelinating…

Rituximab-treated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who take vitamin D supplements have less inflammatory activity, a study reports. Increased levels of vitamin D were associated with beneficial treatment outcomes, such as better self-perceived health and reduced levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein…

High blood levels of a signaling protein known as TWEAK are associated with active neuroinflammation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. This finding suggests that TWEAK may be a valuable biomarker to assess ongoing inflammation and overall MS activity, and potentially help optimize patient care. The…

A shortened DNA molecule showed an increased ability to bind myelin in human cells, and may boost the development of remyelination approaches for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, according to a study. The study, “Optimization of a 40-mer Antimyelin DNA Aptamer Identifies a 20-mer with Enhanced Properties…

Schwann cells surrounding neurons protect the degeneration of nerves by blocking thrombin, a blood-clotting protein that can also damage nerves, according to a new study. These findings may aid in the further understanding of genetic and molecular mechanisms behind conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Results of the study, “Glial cells…

The evaluation of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be performed without the use of a contrast agent, new research has shown. These findings suggest that routine use of contrast-enhanced MRI is unnecessary for most follow-ups with MS patients, reducing both imaging…

MSCopilot, a software device designed for the self-assessment of multiple sclerosis (MS), distinguishes between patients and healthy controls, and potentially could be used in clinical practice for the monitoring of MS disability progression and patients’ response to treatment. Matthieu Lamy, from Ad Scientiam, the…

In the time necessary to perform a standard multiple sclerosis (MS) functional exam, gamified tests on a smartphone app provide much richer and reliable measurements of several distinct neurological functions, according to new data. These findings suggest that creatively-constructed smartphone apps may one day recreate entire neurological exams.

Full results of a Phase 2 clinical trial testing TG Therapeutics’ lead candidate ublituximab (TG-1101) for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) showed that treatment for 48 weeks resulted in a marked reduction of brain and spinal cord lesions, an almost complete depletion of relapse-associated immune B-cells, and significantly halted disability…

The levels of epsilon toxin are increased in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and its presence in laboratory rodents replicated some aspects of disease activity, according to data presented at the 4th Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum. The researchers suggested that the epsilon…

My memory is spotty at times. I utter phrases like, “What was I looking for?” more often than I care to admit. I attribute my memory lapses to my multiple sclerosis (MS) brain lesions. But is my assumption accurate? What if it is age-related or…

A method based on cerebrospinal fluid measurements and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can aid in stratifying patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the time of diagnosis, which may help identify a tailored therapeutic approach for each patient from early disease stages. The data was presented by Roberta Magliozzi, from…

Evobrutinib, Merck KGaA’s oral candidate for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), is safe and can significantly reduce active brain lesions over 24 weeks of treatment, results of ongoing Phase 2 study show. Xavier Montalban, PhD, MD, with Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, presented the results in the talk “Primary…

As the protective molecular caps of our genetic information — called telomeres — become shorter in certain immune cells, the extent of multiple sclerosis (MS) disability progression increases, regardless of age, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) reported. The findings were presented at the annual…

Kessler Foundation researchers Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, and Pei-Pei Liu, PhD, have been awarded a $50,000 grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society to study the speed at which MS patients process information during social interactions. A better understanding of how MS affects the way a person learns from others’…