December 8, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD MS Patient-derived Stem Cells May Be Viable Source for Myelin Repair, Mouse Study Shows Scientists have demonstrated that stem cells derived from the skin cells of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can grow into normal myelin-producing nerve cells, called oligodendrocytes, in a mouse model of MS. These patient-derived cells migrated throughout the brain of myelin-deficient mice, producing myelin ā the fatty…
December 7, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Prenatal Stress Linked to Worse MS Outcomes in Adulthood in Mouse Study Exposure to stress before birth can worsen the clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) during adulthood, a study in a mouse model of MS suggested. Investigators also found that prenatal stress can change the levels of a protein critical for neurological development, called…
November 17, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Scientists Create Oligodendrocytes From Stem Cells in Lab Dish in Just Three Weeks Scientists have createdĀ myelin-producing cells, called oligodendrocytes, from pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in just three weeks. They also demonstrated these lab-made oligodendrocytes were able to produce myelin ā the fatty substance that normally wraps around neuronsā…
November 13, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Start2Cure Foundation Awards Grant to MS Gene Therapy Project Start2Cure Foundation is funding a research project that will investigate the potential of a gene therapy approach to treatĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease characterized by the damage and loss of myelin ā the protective layer around nerve fibers, or axons, that is crucial to the…
November 6, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Small, Myelin-rich Vesicles May Help Control Immune Response in MS, Animal Study Shows Extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny sacs released from myelin-producing cells called oligodendrocytes, may help dampen the immune systemās attack against myelin, whose loss is the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new mouse study shows. The findings suggest that oligodendrocytes-released EVs could work as an universal immunotherapy for MS…
October 30, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Better Repair of Nerve Insulation May Lead to New MS Treatments There may be a better way of repairing the insulation surrounding damaged neurons that could lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The data showed that blocking the protein sphingomyelin hydrolase neutral sphingomyelinase 2, or nSMase2, could improve the quality of the myelin surrounding…
October 27, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Metabolic Enzyme PKM2 a Potential Therapeutic Target for MS, Preclinical Study Suggests SuppressingĀ pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) ā an enzyme involved in cellular metabolismĀ ā in T-helper (Th) immune cells lessenedĀ myelin loss and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Myelin,Ā the protective sheath around nerve fibers that helps speed transmission of signals between nerve cells, isĀ damaged and lost…
October 23, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD VX-765 Therapy, Given Through Nose, Limits MS Progression in Early Study The anti-inflammatory medication VX-765, which is delivered through the nose (intranasal), was found to limit disease progression in a preclinical model of multiple sclerosis (MS) by blocking a protein called caspase-1. The medication helped prevent damage to brain cells in mice. Researchers from the University of…
October 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Simple Sugar Molecule May Be Potential Myelin-repairing Therapy for MS Oral administration of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) ā a natural simple sugar sold as a dietary supplement ā preventsĀ myelin degeneration and loss of motor function in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Myelin,Ā the protective sheath around nerve fibers that helps to speed transmission of signals between nerve cells, isĀ damaged…
October 6, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Pathway and Its Proteins Found to Control Myelin Repair, Renewal A pathway controlled by three proteins ā Daam2, Nedd4, and VHL ā was identified by researchersĀ as a key regulator of myelin production during central nervous system development and regeneration after injury. Myelin,Ā the protective fatty layer that covers nerve fibers and helps to speed transmission of signals between nerve cells,…
September 29, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Amarna Announces Research Collaboration for Testing MS Gene Therapy Platform Dutch Amarna Therapeutics announced a research collaboration with Spanish Progreso y Salud Foundation (FPS) to investigate theĀ efficacy of its gene therapy delivery technology in multiple sclerosis (MS) and diabetes. MS is thought to be caused by immune-mediated inflammation that damages myelin ā an insulating sheath around nerve…
September 15, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 ā Remyelination Mainly Conducted by Pre-existing Myelin-producing Cells, Study Finds Remyelination ā or the restoration of lost myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve cell fibers ā in multiple sclerosis (MS) depends mainly on pre-existing oligodendrocytes (myelin-producing cells), rather than on newly-generated oligodendrocytes, according to a recent study. The data also showed that perineuronal, or satellite,…
September 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Lesions First Seen on Nerves of GI Tract in Mouse Model of MS Before signs of neurodegeneration in the brain and spinal cord are evident in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) ā which resembles humanĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) ā signs can first be found in the network of nerves innervating the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a study reports. Additional research is needed…
September 11, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Tolebrutinib Prevents Myelin Loss in Mouse Model of MS-like Demyelination Tolebrutinib (SAR442168), an investigational oral BTK inhibitorĀ to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), was seen to prevent the loss of myelinĀ when given to a mouse model of demyelination in a preclinical study. The investigative therapy achieves this by preventing…
September 3, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Targeting B-cells in Cerebrospinal Fluid May Lead to More Effective MS Therapies, Study Suggests Immune B-cellsĀ are more abundant and have a pro-inflammatory profile in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that bathes the central nervous system, Ā compared to blood in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study reports. The results suggest that therapeutic strategies targeting the CSF B-cells could constitute a…
August 28, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Gut Bacteria Working in Concert May Promote MS, Early Study Suggests Two specific bacteria present together in the gut led to more immune attacks on myelinĀ and harsher symptoms in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). These findings add toĀ existing evidenceĀ supporting the link between gut microbiota and MS, and highlight the need to consider potential combined effects of these…
August 20, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Cashew Molecule Promotes Remyelination, Halts Disease Progression in MS Mice Anacardic acid, a compound found in cashew nuts, promotedĀ myelinĀ regeneration and eased neuronal damage and disability in two mouse models of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). These protective effects were associated with maturation of myelin-producing cells and production of IL-33, an immune-related molecule with a neuroreparative role in the central…
August 18, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gsta4 Protein Promotes Myelin Repair, Prevents Symptoms in MS Rat Model A protein known as Gsta4 is critical in the growth and activity of oligodendrocytes, a special type of brain cell that generates the myelin sheath that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. The overproduction of Gsta4 in…
August 10, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Immune Cell Protein CD36 Shows Potential as Therapeutic Target, Study Suggests For the first time, scientists have shown that a protein known as CD36 on the surface of some immune cells is crucial for clearing myelin debris and suppressing nerve cell inflammation in disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new…
July 16, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals’ Lead Candidate, EmtinB, Shows Promise in Preclinical Model of MS NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals (NSB)ās lead candidate EmtinBĀ induces significantly greaterĀ myelin regeneration in a cellular model ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) than the market-leading therapyĀ Copaxone, the company announced. āThese results represent a potential breakthrough in the treatment of MS as there are currently no approved therapeutic drugs available to patients that…
June 30, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Boosting Cellular Energy at Sites of Myelin Loss May Stop MS Progression Loss of myelin in nerve cell fibers ā the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā leads to a shortage ofĀ mitochondria, a cell’s powerhouse, denying these damaged fibers the energy they need to work as intended, a new study shows. Boosting the migration of mitochondria to affected nerve…
June 15, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Myelin, Mavenclad, Online Stress Relief, Rehab Aids Note: A story mentioned in this column, āPrime Signs Agreement With EMD Serono to Improve Mavencladās Cost-benefit Value,ā was updated on June 15, 2020, to clarify that the agreement allows for possible reimbursement for Primeās health plan clients, not patients…
June 12, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Autobahn Therapeutics Opens, Aims to Treat MS by Restoring Myelin Autobahn Therapeutics announced its launch with $76 million in financing to support work on therapies forĀ central nervous system (CNS) disorders, includingĀ ABX-002, its lead candidate to treat diseases marked by the loss of myelin,Ā such asĀ …
May 22, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Cell Transplant Restores Myelin Production in Brains of Adult Mice in MS Model Human glial progenitor cells ā forerunners of nerve cells that protect and support neurons ā transplanted into adult mice in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS) were seen to restore myelin production and motor function in the animals. This study and others it builds on “establish an operational…
May 21, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Learning Physical Task Seen to Trigger Myelin Repair in MS Mouse Model Movements that are an act of “learning” motor tasks after lesions appearĀ in the protective myelin sheath of neurons seem to induce both new and existing oligodendrocytes ā the cells that make up myelin ā to repair those lesions, a study in mice shows. Precisely timed rehabilitation programs and exercise may…
May 13, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Ian Duncan Awarded 2020 Dystel Prize for Discoveries in Myelin Repair Neuroscientist Ian D. DuncanĀ has been awarded the 2020 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for work that advanced understanding of how myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve cells, can be repaired in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). āProfessor Duncan has made a series of critical research advances…
April 30, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Nanosensor May Help to Diagnose MS at Early Stages A new tiny sensor is able to detect antibodies against myelin,Ā the protective coating of nerve cell axons whose destruction is a hallmark ofĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), potentially allowing for a diagnosis in early disease stages, researchers report. It also offers the possibility of distinguishing multiple sclerosis from neuromyelitis optica, a…
April 28, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Rituximab May Prevent MS if Given at Earliest Disease Signs, Mouse Study Suggests Using rituximab to preventĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) in people at risk or in patients still without motor symptoms, and continuing treatment as the disease develops, may be a promising way to avoid inflammation andĀ myelinĀ loss in the brain, a study in mice suggests. In an animal model of MS,…
April 13, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 Database, ATA188 Trial Postponed, Teen Smoking, Myelin and Fruit Peels New Database to Compile COVID-19 Data About People with MS and Related Diseases There are databases in the U.K. and other parts of Europe for tracking people with MS who have tested positive for COVID-19. This one is aimed at people in North America. This site will join the…
April 9, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Ursolic Acid, Compound in Fruit Peels, Promotes Myelin Repair, Early Study Finds Ursolic acid, a compound found in some herbs and in the peels of certain fruits, promoted nerve cell repair and restored the myelin sheath covering and protecting nerve endings in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Due to its strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory…