December 7, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Now Available in Japan Takeda Pharmaceutical, a pharmaceutical company based in Osaka, Japan, recently announcedĀ that a widely approved drug treatment forĀ the prevention of relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā is nowĀ available in Japan as well. Copaxone,Ā (glatiramer acetate; 20 mg daily subcutaneous injection), developed by Teva Pharmaceuticals, is an immunomodulatory drug designed toĀ act as…
December 1, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Multiple Sclerosis-like Disorder Blocked in Mice Study Researchers demonstrated a processĀ that prevented an induced autoimmune disease from taking hold in the central nervous system of mice, and think it has the potential of being translated into a multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. The study detailing the method and its promising results is entitled āInfusion of Sulfosuccinimidyl-4-[N-maleimidomethyl]cyclohexane-1-carboxylate-Conjugated MOG35ā55-Coupled…
November 20, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Funds 5 Projects Aiming to Cure the Disease The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the United Kingdom recently announced the investment of Ā£1.98 million in new MS research. After an in-depth, rigorous review process of the 58 applications submitted, 16 projects were awarded funding through the MS Societyās 2015 grant round totaling Ā£1,979,879. All applications…
November 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National Multiple Sclerosis Society Invests Over $21 Million to Fund New MS Research The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has dedicated overĀ $21 millionĀ to fund 78 new multiple sclerosis (MS) research studies as part of a broad research plan designed to addressĀ MS, re-establish Ā lost functioning caused by the disease in patients, and ultimately end the disease forever. This recentĀ round of investment into MS researchĀ is…
November 4, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Multiple Sclerosis Study Reveals Protein’s Role in Disease Activation In a new study entitled āTranscription factor Nr4a1 couples sympathetic and inflammatory cues in CNS-recruited macrophages to limit neuroinflammation,ā a team of scientists discovered the mechanism by whichĀ autoreactiveĀ T cells are capable of penetrating a patient’sĀ brain and induce multiple sclerosis. The study was recently published in the advance online issue…
October 29, 2015 News by admin Microchips May Be New Standard in Multiple Sclerosis Studies In a new article published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology, Korean researchers suggest that diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) might be better studied using compact, accessible chip technology than in current methods. The report, titled “Central Nervous System and its Disease…
October 14, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Study Identifies Blood Coagulation Protein Fibrinogen as Cause of Brain Autoimmunity Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have shown in a new study that fibrinogen, an important blood coagulation protein, can induce an autoimmune response in the central nervous system when the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is disrupted and blood proteins enter the brain. The study, entitled āBlood coagulation protein fibrinogen promotes…
October 9, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Ocrelizumab: Could Genentech/Rocheās Experimental Drug Be the First Effective Progressive MS Therapy? Roche announced positive results for three pivotal Phase III studies of experimental MS therapy ocrelizumab in relapsing multiple sclerosis and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients at this year’s ECTRIMS 2015 conference. The results, particularly for treating PPMS, indicate that the novel therapy may represent…
October 8, 2015 News by admin Does Sun Exposure in Early Years Delay MS Onset? Exposure to sunlight may delay the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study from researchers in Denmark. The work, titled “Association between age at onset of multiple sclerosis and vitamin D levelārelated factors,” appeared October 7, 2015 in the journal Neurology.
October 8, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Acorda To Present New Data on MS Therapies AMPYRA and Experimental rHIgM22 at #ECTRIMS2015 Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., a company focused on therapies for neurological disorders, will present new data on its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating rHIgM22, and five-year post-marketing safety data on AMPYRAĀ® (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets (10 mg) Ā at this year’sĀ 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in…
September 24, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Brain-specific B Cells’ Reactivity Determines Glatiramer Acetate Therapy Success in MS Patients In a new study entitled āThe brain antigen-specific B cell response correlates with glatiramer acetate responsiveness in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients,āĀ a team of scientists discovered that differences in response toĀ glatiramer acetate therapy among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is potentially dependent on the presence of reactive brain-specific B…
September 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Brain Cell Interaction Study Technique Could Impact MS Research A study led by researchers from the University ofĀ Buffalo recently reported the development of a new method to study brain cell interaction more precisely. The study, published in the journal Nature CommunicationsĀ andĀ entitled āSpatial mapping of juxtacrine axo-glial interactions identifies novel molecules in peripheral…
September 22, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Inhibiting LINGO-1 Protein is a Potential Future Treatment for Cognitive Impairment in MS Patients In a new study entitled āLINGO-1 antibody ameliorates myelin impairment and spatial memory deficits in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis miceā, 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…
September 7, 2015 News by admin New Study Unravels How Myelin is Repaired, May Suggest New MS Treatments Japanese scientists have discovered new information about howĀ the myelin sheath is repaired following damage. Myelin is a fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells and helps them to conduct impulses. The researchĀ could have major implications for how multiple sclerosis is understood and even treated.Ā The study, titled “Inactivation…
September 3, 2015 News by admin Biomarkers of Early MS and Overactive Bladder Identified in New Study Researchers at theĀ University of Athens Medical School in GreeceĀ have found that people with early stage multiple sclerosis (MS) and overactive bladderĀ (OAB) have reductions in brain serotoninĀ and a stress-related hormone, cortisol. Serotonin is a chemical that helps nerve cells to communicate. The study, titled “Neurochemical and…
September 1, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Exclusive Breastfeeding Does Not Increase Women’s Risk for Multiple Sclerosis Relapse In a new study entitled āExclusive Breastfeeding and the Effect on Postpartum Multiple Sclerosis Relapses,ā researchersĀ investigated how breastfeeding impacts risk for disease relapse in women with multiple sclerosis. The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Around 20 to 30% of women with…
August 18, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Sleep Deprivation Found To Be A Main Cause of MS-related Fatigue In a new review entitled āFatigue in multiple sclerosis: a look at the role of poor sleepā author Lauren Strober, PhD explores the link between secondary fatigue and sleep disturbance in multiple sclerosis patients. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology.
August 10, 2015 News by admin Benefits of Exercise For Kids With MS Touted in New Study A recent research study focused on whether regular exercise can benefit children with multiple sclerosis (MS). The article appeared in the August 12, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. MS is characterized by inflammation, which manifests asĀ an…
August 6, 2015 News by admin Could Salt Intake be an MS Risk Factor? Most people know that eating too much salt is bad for your health, but a new study suggests that it could also increase the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS). The workĀ appearedĀ in the August 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal,Ā the journal of the FederationĀ of…
July 22, 2015 News by admin New Study Evaluates The Role of MRI in Monitoring MS Progression Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating, progressive disease of the nervous system. It is caused by loss of myelin, aĀ 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…
July 16, 2015 News by admin Study Shows Skin Problems Can Be Caused by Interferon-Ī² MS Therapy Skin problems may be caused by interferon-Ī², a common treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published by a German research group at the Klinik und Poliklinik fĆ¼r Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie, in WĆ¼rzburg, Germany. The work, entitled “Cutaneous Adverse Events Associated with Interferon-Ī²…
July 14, 2015 News by admin Nano-Drugs in Liposomes Could Treat Multiple Sclerosis Nano-drugs encased in liposomes could one day be used to treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published July 6th in the journal, PloS One. A liposome is a small, fat soluble droplet that can contain a water soluble drug. Liposomes might…
June 5, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Specific MicroRNA Expression Changes According to the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Stage 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…
June 3, 2015 News by admin Approach to Treating MS May be Transformed Thanks to Newly Discovered Connection Between Immune-Nervous Systems 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…
May 15, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Yale and MIT Researchers Discover a Key Immune Difference in Multiple Sclerosis Patients A new study recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine revealed a key difference in immune T cells between multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy individuals. The study is entitled āFunctional inflammatory profiles distinguish myelin-reactive T cells from patients with multiple sclerosisā and…
May 7, 2015 News by admin Myelin Repair Foundation and NIH to Study Guanabenz for MS The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF) and National Institutes of HealthĀ (NIH)Ā will initiateĀ a clinical trial of guanabenz in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Guanabenz is FDA-approved for high blood pressure, but it may also prevent myelin loss. The drug could be the first for MS to protect myelin from…
May 1, 2015 News by admin Genzyme’s LEMTRADA Maintain’s Effectiveness in Reducing Brain Atrophy According to Recent Study Results GenzymeĀ presentedĀ new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from the LemtradaĀ® (alemtuzumab) clinical development programĀ onĀ April 23, 2015, at the 67th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting. The company showed that in the extension phase of two Phase III trials (years 3 and 4), the drug continued to protect the nervous…
April 29, 2015 News by admin Can Suppressing a Protein Associated With Good Health Help Treat MS? Gladstone Institutes scientists have discoveredĀ a successful new treatment that could potentially be used in multiple sclerosis (MS). The treatment involves suppressing a protein that traditionally is associated with overall good health. The study,Ā SIRT1 Deacetylates RORĪ³t and Enhances Th17 Cell Generation, appeared April 27, 2015 in theĀ Journal…
April 23, 2015 News by admin Phase III Study of Experimental MS Therapy Meets Primary Endpoint, Results to be Presented at ANN Meeting MedDay, a French biotechnology company that studies treatments for nervous system disorders, including multiple sclerosis, announced that MD1003, a highly-concentrated biotin, is effective forĀ treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis, according to results from a recent Phase III trial. MD1003 may have two beneficial effects: 1) increasing myelin, the fatty nerve-insulating…
April 22, 2015 News by admin Two Already-Approved Medications Could Treat MS Two already available medicationsĀ could be used to treatĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). In a newĀ study titled, “Drug Based Modulation of Endogenous Stem Cells,” published in the journal NatureĀ on April 20, 2015, scientists report that twoĀ drugs couldĀ activate stem cells in the brain, possibly repairing MS-induced damage to…