January 15, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Thumbs-up from National MS Society The advice issued Tuesday by the U.S.-based National Multiple Sclerosis Society about COVID-19 vaccination couldn’t be clearer: “Get your vaccine as soon as it is available to you.” New MS Society guidelines say that the two COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S., both of which use an mRNA…
November 23, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ChariotMS to Test Mavenclad in SPMS, PPMS Patients With Little Ability to Walk An upcoming Phase 2 clinical trial, called ChariotMS, will test whether Mavenclad (cladribine) can slow a worsening of hand and arm function in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and very limited walking abilities. Patients reliant on wheelchairs or aids to walk even short distances generally have…
October 1, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD $373K Grant to Support Discovery of Remyelinating Compounds for MS The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ has awarded a two-year, $373,000 Fast Forward grant to researchers at the University of California Riverside School of MedicineĀ to identify compounds best able to replace myelin lost over the course of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a press release.
September 21, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Economic Impact Survey, Fatigue, DMTs National MS Society Launches Survey to Assess Economic Impact of MS We know that managing MS is expensive. It can cost us money out of our pockets and also limit our ability to earn that money. A small survey about this was the subject of my “MS Wire”…
September 21, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Prevalence at Over 2.8 Million Worldwide, Update to Atlas Reports More than 2.8 million people worldwide are now estimated to be living with multiple sclerosis (MS), including about 1 million in the United States, an update to theĀ Atlas of MSĀ reports. An increase since its previous update, this number translates to someone,Ā somewhere in the world, being newly diagnosed with…
September 18, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD National MS Society Launches Survey to Assess Economic Impact of MS The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, together with the Lewin Group, has launched a survey to assess the economic impact multiple sclerosis (MS) has on patients and their families. In the survey, which can be found here, MS patients and/or their family members are asked to answer…
September 16, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Pediatric MS Patients May Do Best on Intravenous DMTs, Study Finds Most children and adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), especially those treated intravenously with a disease-modifying therapyĀ (DMT), achieve no evidence of disease activity within two years of diagnosis, according to a real-life study from the U.S. Patients whose DMTs are infused into a vein (intravenous treatment) areĀ more likely…
August 18, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Good Work Habits and Adjustments May Help Patients Keep Jobs The degree to which people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are conscientiousĀ ā a personality trait that reflects responsibility, organization, and goal-oriented skills ā in their work habits can help to predict their employment status in three years, according to a survey of 70 MS patients. A study based on…
July 23, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cognitive Health Tests Given Online Show ‘Promise’ in Study Assessing the cognitive health of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be performed using online telehealth, with results similar to in-person testing, researchers working with a patient group reported. “By assessing memory in patients prior to a clinic visitĀ using a web-based approach, we may be able to meetĀ the…
July 14, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Alternative Medicine Popular With MS Patients in US Northwest, Survey Finds Complementary and alternative medicines are increasingly popular amongĀ people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the northwestern United States, a survey found. More than 80% of the 1,000 people who responded to the Oregon Health & Science UniversityĀ (OHSU) survey reported using supplements and exercise to help treat their MS, and…
June 15, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Experts Clarify Concepts of MS States to Improve Patient Care, Clinical Trials An international committee of multiple sclerosis (MS) experts further clarified how guidelines, updated in 2013, should be used to classify this disease’s different states, and stressed the importance of measuring these states in a timely and consistent manner. The group’s statement, āThe 2013 clinical course descriptors…
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 18, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS National MS Society Expert Panel Offers Guidelines for Regular Exercise Healthcare providers should encourage everyone with multiple sclerosis (MS) to engage in regular exercise and keep physically active, new guidelines based on an expert panel convened by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society recommend. They also suggest different types of exercise applicable to people at varying levels of disability.
May 15, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mindfulness Training Seen to Aid Cognitive, Emotional Well-being in Pilot Study Four weeks of mindfulness meditation helped to improve thinking skills and a sense of emotional balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to a greater extent than cognitive training given to a separate patient group, aĀ pilot clinical trial reports.Ā These results were detailed in two studies,ā…
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 15, 2020 News by Mary Chapman Two Data-sharing Initiatives Launched Regarding MS and COVID-19 Through two new initiatives, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and their healthcare providers can contribute to a global effort to study and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in MS and related disorders. The initiatives are aimed at helping clinicians identify the best way to manage the novel coronavirus in…
February 19, 2020 News by Mary Chapman Bike MS Fundraiser Will See Tri Global Energy Back on Saddle for 5th Year Tri Global Energy is again joining with fellow Texans forĀ Bike MS, the nationwide fundraising cycling series of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Team Wind ForceĀ will saddle up May 16-17 for Bike MS Round-Up Ride 2020. Now in its fifth year, theĀ Dallas area team has…
February 18, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD How Astrocytes Promote Inflammation in Patients’ Brain Detailed in Early Study Using brain tissue from people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and mouse models of MS, scientists identified a key pathway that drivesĀ astrocytesĀ to promote inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. The study, “MAFG-driven astrocytes promote CNS inflammation” published in the journalĀ Nature,Ā uncovered potential therapeutic targets that may be…
January 31, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Harvard Scientist Awarded National MS Society’s Barancik Prize for Work in MS Harvard professor and scientist Francisco Quintana, PhD, has been awarded the 2019 Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research for his work in understanding what causes multiple sclerosis (MS), and how to stop its development. Quintana has developed innovative research programs that use cutting-edge technology to help…
October 16, 2019 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc NMSS Awards $339K to Phase 2 Trial of Potential Remyelination Agent, Clene Nanomedicine Announces The National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded more than $339,000 to Clene Nanomedicine to support clinical tests into its lead candidate CNM-Au8Ā in treatingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) by protecting nerve cells and restoring myelin. The grant was awarded under the National MS Societyās Fast Forward program, which aims…
September 16, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Anti-epileptic May Help to Stop Disability Progression, Study Suggests Oxcarbazepine, an anti-epileptic medicine, given in combination with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) may help to stop disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, results of Phase 2 trial suggest. Monica Marta, PhD, withĀ Queen Mary University of LondonĀ and Barts Health NHS Trust/The Royal London HospitalĀ presented the data at the…
June 12, 2019 News by BioNews Staff Muralist Lydia Emily Uses Art to Publicize Hardships of Life with MS Perched atop a lift at the intersection of Main and ThirdĀ streets in downtown Los Angeles, artist Lydia Emily cheerfully answered questions from a reporter 2,500 miles away via cellphone while working on a mural three stories high. Periodically, she interrupted the interview to banter with co-workers, and gawking passersby.
May 21, 2019 News by Santiago Gisler EMD Serono Launches MS-LINK Research Network to Improve Patient Care EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA in the U.S. and Canada, announced the launch of the company’s Multiple Sclerosis Leadership and Innovation Network (MS-LINK), an interdisciplinary research community aimed at improving the care of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The program will combine clinical outcomes…
April 22, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD 14 Notable Pilot Projects Among Research Efforts Funded by National MS Society The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has recently awardedĀ $24.4 million in grants to support 64 research projects on multiple sclerosis (MS) worldwide, includingĀ $750,000 to fund 14 high-risk, high-reward pilot projects that will test new ideas and seek answers to new and relevant questions. According to a society…
April 18, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells Disrupt Blood-brain Barrier, Trigger Brain Inflammation in MS, Study Shows Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), the cells responsible for myelin production, are unable to migrate into sites of myelin loss in the brain. These cells then cluster and disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB), triggering an inflammatory process in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. The study, āAberrant oligodendroglialāvascular interactions disrupt the bloodābrain barrier, triggeringĀ CNS inflammation,ā was published in the journalĀ Nature Neuroscience. MS is an autoimmune disease characterized by the loss of myelin (demyelination) ā the fat-rich substance that protects nerve fibers ā which leads to neurodegeneration.Ā Along with loss of myelin, researchers have observed that the blood-brain barrier ā a highly selective membrane that shields the central nervous system with its cerebrospinal fluid from the general blood circulation āĀ breaks down in the initial stages of disease. A team led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco,Ā have now discovered that OPCs are involved in the disruption of the blood-brain barrier in MS, according to a press releaseĀ from the National MS Society, which funded the study. Oligodendrocytes are myelin-producing cells and are responsible for myelinating the nerve cellsā axons ā a single oligodendrocyte is capable of myelinating multiple axons.Ā Mature myelin-producing oligodendrocytes develop from more immature, stem cell-like OPCs. In a normal brain, upon myelin loss, OPCs are called into action and travel into the damage site where they mature and generate myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. In this study, the researchers found that OPCs in MS form clusters in blood vessels of the brain-blood barrier, having lost the ability to detach from these vessels and migrate to injury sites. In an animal model of MS, they saw that OPC aggregates altered the location of other cells ā called astrocytes ā in a competition for space, and contributed to the disruption of blood vessels. Astrocytes are a group of star-shaped cells, belonging to the group of glial cells, that provide neurons with energy, and work as a platform to clean up their waste. They also have other functions within the brain, such as regulating blood flow and inflammation. The team also observed that OPC aggregates trigger an immune inflammatory response, shown by a large number of microglia (the central nervous system immune cells) and immune cells called macrophages around these cell clusters. āWe find in several MS cases, in lesion areas with active inflammation, that OPCs can be found clustered on vasculature, representing a defect in single cell perivascular migration and inability to detach from blood vessels,ā the researchers wrote. Further molecular analysis revealed that OPCs have high levels of Wnt signaling, and elevated secretion of Wif1 factor to the extracellular space thatĀ could explain why OPCs accumulate and destroy the blood-brain barrier. The WiF1 factor is actually a negative regulator of Wnt signaling that is essential for the maintenance of the blood-brain barrierĀ structure. This factor competes with Wnt ligands, and affects the integrity of cellular junctions, making the blood-brain barrier more fragile and permeable. "Evidence for this defective oligodendroglialāvascular interaction in MS suggests that aberrant OPC perivascular migration not only impairs their lesion recruitment but can also act as a disease perpetuator via disruption of the BBB,ā the researchers wrote. They suggested that more studies are needed to better understand the interactions between blood vessels and oligodendrocytes, which could help identify new therapeutic targets for promoting myelin repair in MS.
April 16, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Trial Testing Deprexis Online Therapy for MS-related Depression Enrolling in US, Germany A clinical trial testing a computer program called Deprexis as a home-based therapeutic strategy for multiple sclerosis (MS)-related depression is enrolling participants with allĀ types of MSĀ at three sites in the U.S. and two in Germany. The U.S. study locations are the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,…
April 15, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Anne Cross, Neurologist with Pioneering Work into B-cells and MS, Awarded John Dystel Prize This year’sĀ John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis ResearchĀ is being awarded toĀ Anne H. Cross, a neurologist and MS chair in the department of neuroimmunology atĀ Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, for herĀ research into the role of immune B-cells in multiple sclerosisĀ attacks and new imaging…
March 19, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Risk Tolerance for Therapies Linked to Age, Sex and Disability Sex, age, disability level, and current disease-modifying therapy use are linked to how multiple sclerosis (MS) patients weigh the potential benefits and safety risks of treatments, new research from two teams funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ shows. These studies shed light on how…
March 13, 2019 News by Santiago Gisler Phase 2 Trial Will Assess Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Progressive Forms of MS The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ is funding a new Phase 2 clinical trial to test the effectiveness of stem cell therapy on individuals with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), using mesenchymal stem cells from their own bone marrow. The ability of stem cells to both self-renew and create…
March 13, 2019 News by Mary Chapman On the Heels of New MS Prevalence Study, the National MS Society Marks MS Awareness Week with Patient Stories Spurred on by a recent multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence study, which revealed that the number of MS patients in the U.S. is double (nearly one million) what had been previously thought, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is marking MS Awareness Week by sharing stories of those affected…