MS

“MS” is a documentary film released last year that tells the story of three patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) and how they deal with the chronic debilitating disease. The director of the film recently announced that the short documentary has been made available on YouTube in…

Researchers at Immco Diagnostics and the State University of New York in Buffalo recently reported in the journal PLoS One that the frequency of specific auto reactive antibodies does not differ between patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and people without the disease — a finding…

With 26 states plus the District of Columbia now allowing medical marijuana use, according to a recent North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) survey, many people with multiple sclerosis are considering the herb as a therapeutic option. NARCOMS is a research program that allows people with Multiple Sclerosis…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has updated its smartphone app My MS Manager with several new features. My MS Manager, a first-of-its kind mobile phone app supporting both Apple’s iPhone (iOS 7.0 or later) and Android mobile devices (also works with iPads, iPod touch, and Android…

Researchers at the Don C. Gnocchi Foundation and the University of Milano in Italy recently discovered that the levels of a specific RNA molecule vary in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) according to their disease stage and clinical progression. The study was published in the…

A new study confirmed that depression and chronic fatigue often occur in multiple sclerosis (MS); and in a related condition known as neuromyelitis optica (NMO). NMO is similar to MS because myelin–the fatty substance that insulates nerve cells and helps them to communicate–is also lost. In NMO the myelin deteriorates mostly…

The 4th International MS Patient Summit, which will be held on May 22 in Rome, Italy, will explore feedback from patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) in an effort to increase knowledge of the disease and, hopefully, improve treatments. Kaz Aston, the conference moderator, is an MS patient herself who was diagnosed with the…

There has been a great deal of recent interest in the connection between nervous system function and the complex bacteria that are found in the gastrointestinal system, known as the gut microbiome. Some scientists believe that differences in the type of bacteria found in the gut may underlie neurological disease. In…

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) College of Pharmacy and Oregon State University (OSU) at Corvallis, and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, have documented an “alarming rise” over the last 20 years in the costs of drugs used to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis…

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…

Cambridge, Massachusetts based PatientsLikeMe has released results of a novel study conducted in conjunction with pharmaceutical maker Biogen that demonstrated how people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) can employ wearable activity tracking devices to monitor, collect, and share their personal mobility data. That information can potentially be relevant for…

Biogen plans to present new clinical data at the 67th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., April 18 – 25, 2015, including numerous presentations focusing on multiple sclerosis.  In a company press release, Biogen stated “At AAN, we will feature new scientific data, including research highlighting the…

Coffee Drinking may confer the side-benefit of lowering the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in susceptible individuals, according to a meta-analysis of Swedish and American studies to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting to be held April 18-25, 2015 at the…