Antibodies against a protein found in neurons and in nerve supporting cells, may play a role in driving multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. Researchers examined immune responses against more than 23,000 human proteins, and the MLC1 protein emerged as one of the top hit proteins targeted by immune…
MS lesions
Mikael Simons, MD, a neurologist at Technical University Munich, has been awarded this year’s $125,000 Barancik Prize for his extensive research on myelin, a protective coating that sheathes nerve cells and becomes damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). Run by the National MS Society and funded by the Charles…
Enigma Biomedical has entered into an agreement with Neuraly to use its PET imaging tracer PMI04 to visualize microglia activity in people with neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Microglia are resident immune cells in the brain that are believed to play a role in driving…
Gadoquatrane, a contrast agent Bayer is developing for use in MRI scans, is able to detect regions of damage and other disease-related features while using 60% less gadolinium — a chemical element used to enhance an MRI — compared with existing gadolinium-based contrast agents. That’s according to new data…
IRX4204, a compound that Io Therapeutics is developing to treat neurological diseases, facilitated myelin repair and improved walking abilities in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a recent study, scientists report. “Our findings support the therapeutic potential of IRX4204 to promote functional neurologic recovery in…
In the five years leading up to a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, children and adolescents often experience obesity and symptoms such as sensory disturbances and vision problems — potential early signs of MS that could help in diagnosing the condition, according to a new study. Indeed, the study reports…
A specific type of brain lesion called a paramagnetic rim lesion, or PRL, is associated with worse disability over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but available disease-modifying therapies (DMT) can lower the chances of the appearance of these lesions, according to two studies published by scientists…
An interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors, including tobacco smoke exposure, affects brain development in early childhood, which could increase the likelihood a person will develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. Among young children in the Netherlands, being at a high genetic risk for MS,…
Blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a biomarker of nerve cell damage used in multiple sclerosis (MS) research — are influenced by factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), and storage conditions of the blood samples, according to a recent report. Such factors may need to…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who come from poorer families or other disadvantageous circumstances tend to have more inflammation and irreversible brain tissue loss, a new study reports. “Our findings suggest that social disadvantage in childhood can have lasting effects on MS severity,” Kimberly A. O’Neill, MD, study coauthor…
Cognitive rehabilitation scientist Yael Goverover, PhD, has been recognized with the title of Fellow of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) for her contributions to research on multiple sclerosis (MS) and her efforts at advancing cognitive rehabilitation for people with the disease. Goverover’s work has focused on understanding…
Higher blood levels of bile acids — molecules found in the digestive fluid bile, which helps absorb fat in the gut — are associated with a slower progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), as indicated by imaging scans, a study by U.S. researchers reported. In a small clinical trial in…
Developing a more comprehensive understanding of the interactions between the brain, blood vessels, and the immune system holds great promise for unlocking new ways to treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a team of researchers argued in a new commentary paper. “Interactions between the brain, blood vessels, and…
Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a plant-derived small molecule that can promote the growth of cells that produce myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). The naturally occurring molecule, sulfuretin, blocks the activity of an enzyme that…
Increased production of cholesterol by stem cells in the brain contributes to neurological damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study conducted in lab-grown cells. Findings suggest cholesterol-lowering medications can reverse this damage, implying such treatments might be able to be repurposed for MS. “Cholesterol metabolism has…
Transplanting genetically engineered oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which give rise to mature myelin-making cells, significantly boosted myelin repair in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS)-like chronic brain lesions. The cells were engineered to ignore chemical signals that would normally inhibit OPCs being recruited into lesions and then restore…
A revised version of the McDonald criteria, a set of guidelines used to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS), is expected to include additional features that will help doctors make an accurate diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease, even if patients have yet to manifest clinical symptoms. The…
A patient advocate shares how sudden vision loss in high school led to an unexpected MS diagnosis, profoundly shaping their resilience and deepening their commitment to supporting and guiding others through similar challenges.
Glial cells, which mostly support the function of nerve cells, play key roles in multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression and development, according to a stem cell-based study. “Most research and therapeutic strategies have so far focused on blocking the overactive immune system, but how cells in the brain itself,…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are about half as likely as those without the disease to have signs of the amyloid-beta plaques in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in the U.S. “Our findings imply that some component of the biology…
Two weeks ago, I was notified that one of the lesions on my brain has grown. This led me and my care team to decide it was time to switch multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments. Soon after I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2017,…
Note: This column refers to the author’s own experience with Gilenya (fingolimod). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. On a recent Friday, all was calm and peaceful in my household. I was bundled up in my bed watching…
A specific epigenetic marker, or a chemical modification in DNA that alters gene activity, may explain why adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells respond differently to therapies aiming to restore myelin than their neonatal counterparts, a study reports. The modification, called a lysine eight acetylation on histone H4, helps to regulate…
PIPE-307, an experimental oral therapy that’s currently in Phase 2 testing for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), was shown to promote myelin repair in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The preclinical findings were published in PNAS, in the study “Targeting the muscarinic M1 receptor…
A PhD student at the UMass Chan Medical School will use funding from a newly awarded fellowship to advance his research into the mechanisms used by cells to repair myelin, the protective sheath around nerve cells that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating conditions. The ongoing…
Levels of the immune cell protein CHIT1 at diagnosis, taken from the spinal fluid via a spinal tap, may strongly predict how fast disability progression will occur in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. Compared with standard clinical measures used to predict disease progression — such…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to experience a short-term reduction in disability and brain lesion volume after receiving stem cell therapy, according to a meta-analysis of nine studies detailing randomized clinical trials. After six and 12 months, however, the researchers found no differences in disability between patients…
Using a newly developed molecular analysis, a research team has discovered previously unknown subsets of immune cells and genes that may play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-mediated diseases. “We discovered new types of helper T cells as well as genes related to immune disorders. We…
Nearly one year of treatment with frexalimab, an antibody being developed by Sanofi, significantly reduced the blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve cell damage that typically is elevated in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from a company-sponsored…
A panel of 20 proteins in blood may be used to quantify disease activity, namely relapses and lesions, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new paper proposes. “A multi-protein panel like the one developed in this study has the capability to capture the state of a patient’s MS…