myelin

Here is my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Ocrevus and the hope of ‘ending MS forever’: Interview with MS Society’s Tim Coetzee Ocrevus possibly being one of the most significant advances in MS treatment, especially for people with PPMS, the…

Regulatory T-cells in the central nervous system trigger the maturation of stem cells that increase the production of myelin at injured neurons — a discovery that places the idea of regeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) in a whole new light. Myelin is a substance essential to the functioning of the…

The idea of repairing damaged axons — a key component of advancing disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) — just got closer to reality, with the discovery that a compound found in fungi triggered axon regeneration, making damaged axons grow “like weeds.” Scientists have long struggled to find compounds that stimulate the…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are three to six times more likely to develop epilepsy than the general population, a study says. Researchers believe the loss of myelin in certain neurons — a hallmark of MS — is what causes the seizures. The study was published in the journal…

The absence of epigenetic factors in myelin-producing oligodendrocyte cells make sure that myelin production is switched off in the adult brain. Targeting these factors may be a way of triggering myelin regeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), and a step toward personalized medicine for this disease, Dr. Patrizia Casaccia said in a talk…

Treatment with Apitope’s lead agent, ATX-MS-1467, decreased brain lesions in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in a now-completed Phase 2a clinical trial. ATX-MS-1467 is a potential disease-modifying agent with an immune-tolerating action. It consists of four short peptides derived from the myelin basic protein, and is designed to reduce…

Lately, I have been reading more and more about the potential connection between the blood brain barrier and multiple sclerosis. I have been researching the blood brain barrier (BBB) to better understand it and share my findings with readers. The BBB is a network of endothelial cells…

A treatment delivered as a nasal solution helped to preserve eye neurons and improve eyesight in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study demonstrated — suggesting that it may be possible to deliver drugs that target the brain in this noninvasive way. But nasal administration is not the only…

Two Cleveland Clinic researchers were awarded multi-year grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under its Outstanding Investigator Award, to find new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other complex diseases. Bruce Trapp, PhD, an expert in myelin biology and MS, will receive about $7 million over eight years under the…

In what may be one of the most significant discoveries in neurodegenerative disease, researchers have found that brain cells, called astrocytes, contribute to killing neurons and myelin-forming oligodendrocyte cells, which may drive neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Experiments indicate an aggressive astrocyte type kills cells by secreting a yet-unidentified…

Australia has granted a patent to RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals for an active ingredient in a therapy that could benefit multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The patent is for Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), the driving force in the company’s RGN-352 treatment. RGN-352 promotes myelination, or the production of protective myelin sheaths for damaged neurons and other nerve…

The discovery of a new type of immune cell in the membranes covering the brain is likely to advance understanding of the immune system’s impact on the brain, a study says. It could also lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers knew the immune…

Scientists at the University of Buffalo have identified a critical step in the process of nerve myelination after birth, a discovery that holds promise for the development of more effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The research involved the study of voltage-operated calcium channels, which initiate many physiological…

The brain has a system for orchestrating a defense against viral infections, scientists report in a finding that may advance the understanding of disease processes in multiple sclerosis (MS). The newly discovered system is run by brain immune cells called microglia, and researchers will now focus on understanding how these…

A specific type of channel that facilitates calcium flow is needed for normal development of cells that produce a shield, called myelin, around nerve fibers — a finding that could open up new approaches to regenerating the myelin-producing cells (called oligodendrocytes) lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers now hope to…

Researchers monitoring the decomposition of an abundant brain protein, called myelin basic protein (MBP), discovered that this protein breaks down differently in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than it does in those without the disease, particularly in two surface regions, and that difference may be the trigger for immune reactions and myelin…

Alterations in microorganisms in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients could contribute to underlying disease mechanisms, including demyelination, according to researchers. The study, “Brain microbiota disruption within inflammatory demyelinating lesions in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Scientific Reports. It is widely recognized that the…

In a new and possibly important insight into the workings of the immune system, researchers discovered what it takes for T-cells to start targeting myelin sheets in multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings may also explain why some drugs fail to prevent autoimmunity in MS. The study, “Trans-presentation…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $45,000 grant to a team of investigators, led by Tia Walker, PhD, at Indiana University Northwest, to support a research project into the role of copper in multiple sclerosis (MS). The award is a first for IU Northwest, and will allow the team to…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News published last week in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Ampyra Helps MS Patients Not Only Walk Better, But Feel Better Too, Study Reports This is news of encouraging research. Results from a Phase 2 clinical trial showed that treatment with Ampyra (prolonged-release fampridine)…

Immunization with molecules present specifically in myelin may be a new approach to treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study that found that the mouse version of such molecules could stop ongoing disease processes in an MS mouse model. The study, “Targeting Non-classical Myelin Epitopes to Treat…

This is my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Study of Myelin-producing Cells a Step Forward for MS, Other Neurological Disorders Isn’t it strange how often in the world of science, something of importance is found in an unconnected study? Here,…

A study found that the cells responsible for the production of myelin selectively introduce a myelin-insulating layer in a particular set of neuronal axons in the brain’s white matter. This represents a step forward in the basic mechanisms that may underlie neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Also, a newly developed method…

Researchers have discovered that a type of immune molecule — called “spliced epitopes,” once believed to be very rare  — in fact makes up a large part of the molecules labeling cells as belonging to the body, and those that are invaders. The finding may well change our understanding of multiple…

The MS Society in the United Kingdom awarded £177,930 (about $217,800) to Dr. Sassan Hafizi, a researcher at University of Portsmouth, to investigate the potentially beneficial role of a central nervous system molecule, called Gas6, in repairing the myelin damage seen in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) . Hafizi and Dr. Arthur…

Here, I comment on my Pick of the Week’s News, as published in Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Myelin Regeneration Achieved in Mouse Model of MS Remyelination is one of the most exciting developments in the treatment of MS. Therapies aimed at regenerating the myelin sheath can work to…

Voluntary running triggers a molecule called VGF, a nerve growth factor, that was seen to induce a brain repair mechanism in animals, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa in Canada report. The findings have important implications for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions caused by damage to…

The MS Society in the United Kingdom is funding a new project at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, to examine if  heparin, a drug widely used for stroke patients, can repair neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a progressive, debilitating, immune-mediated, neurodegenerative disorder in which…

Therapies aimed at regenerating the myelin sheath can work to restore proper brain activity and may be a viable way of treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the University of California San Francisco. In the study, “Accelerated Remyelination During Inflammatory Demyelination Prevents Axonal Loss And Improves Functional Recovery,” published…

In multiple sclerosis (MS), scientists have long believed that the body’s own immune system attacked myelin sheaths, the “insulating tape” that surrounds neurons, causing the disease. But researchers at Tel Aviv University are challenging that view, in a study reporting that MS may in fact be triggered by an instability inherent in the myelin membranes. The…