MS lesions

A smartphone platform may eventually enable large-scale studies of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other neurologic diseases, according to the findings of a recent study published in the journal Neurology, Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation. Smartphones, highly portable and popular, provide a significant opportunity to incorporate information across…

A collective team of physician-researchers comprising Dr. Peter Calabresi from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Dr. Laura Balcer from NYU Langone Medical Center, and Dr. Elliot Frohman from University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine are the winners of the 2015 Barancik Prize for Innovation…

A recent study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine provided new insights into the role of B cells in multiple sclerosis (MS), and points to a specific line of possible new therapies. The study is entitled “Proinflammatory GM-CSF–producing B cells in multiple sclerosis and B cell…

Biometrica MS, a technology that provides an easy to use service for neurologists to quantify lesion load as well as brain volume measures in clinical practice, is a web-based image analysis tool that was recently launched at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple…

New developments in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) are being discussed at this year’s 31st annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). The symposium, being held in Barcelona, Spain, will foster discussions about development of individualized therapies for MS patients through a more targeted and efficient…

A number of studies have previously suggested a negative effect of high cholesterol levels on the development of brain lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), however, little is known about the effect of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, or “good” cholesterol, on MS. A team of scientists from the University…

The 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) begins today, October 7, 2015 at the Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain. The first day of the Congress will focus heavily on Teaching Courses in several topics related to multiple sclerosis (MS)…

Icometrix, a leader in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS), has recently announced a collaboration agreement with Novartis Pharma AG regarding MSmetrix – a measurement tool especially designed to assess brain volume and atrophy, as well as existing, new or enlarging brain lesions in MS patients. Monitoring…

Two studies recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, revealed a possible new vaccine treatment for JC virus with important implications for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. The studies are entitled “JC polyomavirus mutants escape antibody-mediated neutralization” and “Broadly neutralizing human…

In a new study entitled “LINGO-1 antibody ameliorates myelin impairment and spatial memory deficits in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice”, a team of scientists report that the loss of myelin in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ brains contributes to their cognitive impairment. They showed that inhibiting protein LINGO-1 can…

In a newly published study in the PLOS One journal entitled “Reliability of Intra-Retinal Layer Thickness Estimates“, researchers from Germany explored the precision and reliability of a medical imaging technique named optical coherence tomography (OCT) in measurements of thickness of different intra-retinal layers in…

In a new study entitled “Neutrophil trails guide influenza-specific CD8+ T cells in the airways,” researchers uncovered a key mechanism mediated by neutrophils that guides immune system cells to the site of an injury or infection. Moreover, this mechanism is crucial for immune cells to function properly…

Japanese scientists have discovered new information about how the myelin sheath is repaired following damage. Myelin is a fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells and helps them to conduct impulses. The research could have major implications for how multiple sclerosis is understood and even treated. The study, titled “Inactivation…

Researchers at the University of Athens Medical School in Greece have found that people with early stage multiple sclerosis (MS) and overactive bladder (OAB) have reductions in brain serotonin and a stress-related hormone, cortisol. Serotonin is a chemical that helps nerve cells to communicate. The study, titled “Neurochemical and…

In a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroimaging, a team of researchers from the UCLA have reported the first evidence that obstructive sleep apnea contributes to a breakdown of the blood–brain barrier, which plays an important role in protecting brain tissue. The findings are significant for…

A recently published study in the journal Neurology entitled “lower physical activity is associated with higher disease burden in pediatric multiple sclerosis” suggests pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis can benefit from engaging in regular moderate to strenuous activity, in that physical activity was linked to a…

Personalized medicine, often applied to treat cancer, may be possible for patients with multiple sclerosis as well. Certain patients respond differently to certain multiple sclerosis medications, such as interferon-β (IFNβ), and researchers at San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan may have an answer as to why. The team, led by…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating, progressive disease of the nervous system. It is caused by loss of myelin, a fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells and allows them to conduct impulses and communicate. When myelin is lost, areas of damage called “lesions” result, which appear in the brain and…

Recent attention to the role of mitochondria in the etiology of multiple sclerosis (what causes the disease) suggests that mitochondrial defects and mitochondrial structural and functional changes may contribute to the disease. Researchers studying mitochondria in multiple sclerosis believe abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics impact cellular pathways such as inflammation and…

Alexander Gow, Ph.D., a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has just been awarded a research grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to fund his exploration of a novel model of MS pathology. Gow is a holder of the Charles H. Gershenson Distinguished Fellow Professor…

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, LMU clinicians have clarified the lifespan of antibody-producing cells and have also identified a novel biomarker that could be used to monitor autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis and lupus erythematous. The humoral immune response is mediated by cells…

An exciting new discovery has turned the medical world upside down, and could have important implications for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). It turns out that previously undiscovered vessels exist that connect the nervous system and immune system directly. The study, titled “Structural and functional features…

A team led by researchers at San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Italy and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts recently revealed a new genetic variant linked to multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is entitled “A pharmacogenetic study implicates SLC9a9 in multiple sclerosis disease activity” and is published in…

Amarantus BioScience has released preliminary data from a blood test for multiple sclerosis (MS) called the MSPrecise diagnostic. The company believes that the test could lead to more accurate diagnoses of MS early in the disease’s progression. MSPrecise is a DNA sequencing test designed to identify specific DNA mutations that are associated with the…

US-based Multiple Sclerosis Outcome Assessments Consortium (MSOAC) has invited New Zealand-based Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited to join their efforts to develop clinical outcome assessment tools to be used in clinical research on multiple sclerosis (MS). The tool being developed is expected to include a series of tests while improving, accelerating and evaluating…

The 67th American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting took place last week in Washington, DC and included eight investigators from the Tisch MS Research Center of New York, whose research efforts focus on finding a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers attended the meeting to share data and insights on…

San Diego based medical software developer CorTechs Labs announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with multinational pharmaceutical maker Novartis Pharma AG. The two companies will collaborate in further development of Cortechs’ powerful NeuroQuant breakthrough 510(k) cleared software brain volume quantification device that targets identification, measurement and tracking…

Considering the range of neurological symptoms normally associated with adult multiple sclerosis (including loss of coordination, weakness, fatigue, and trouble thinking), symptoms of pediatric multiple sclerosis are often nonspecific and affect the intestinal system. Intestinal mobility and sensation, vomiting, and long transit time for digestion (dysphagia) are symptoms that also…

A new commentary concerning genetic variability in multiple sclerosis patients highlights a new marker of disease severity. Local IgG (antibody) synthesis is found in over 90% of multiple sclerosis patients, and there is a genetic basis for this hallmark of disease. “A new genome-wide association…

MS Research Australia has awarded a $150,000 grant to support a project being conducted at Murdoch University aimed at expanding scientific knowledge on the correlation between multiple sclerosis (MS) and Epstein-Barr virus infection. The research grant was awarded to David Nolan, an adjunct associate professor at the Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases (IIID),…