December 1, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Researchers Shed Light on Link Between Nuclear Protein and MS A nuclear protein called heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 or hnRNP A1 ā abnormally found outside the nucleus in people with neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) ā is essential for nerve cell function and survival. Those are the findings of a new study, by Canadian researchers, of nerve…
September 3, 2021 News by Shayna Korol Patients, Caregivers Asked to Help Adira in Choosing Grant Awards TheĀ Adira FoundationĀ is inviting people with neurodegenerative diseases and their caregivers to join a grant proposal review committee. A nonprofit foundation, its mission is to unite people affected by some of most common neurodegenerative diseases ā namely, multiple sclerosis,Ā amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease,Ā and…
June 11, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD University Alumni Donate $7.5M to Support Research Into MS, Like Diseases John and Catherine Seibyl, both alumni of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Ohio, have pledged $7.5 million to the university to advance multidisciplinary research into multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The funds will be shared strategically between CWRU’s School of Medicine and the Frances Payne Bolton…
February 9, 2021 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Tool to Potentially Diagnose MS via Eye Movements Gets $2.5M Funding Boost C. Light TechnologiesĀ announced it raised $2.5 million in seed funding to further develop a noninvasive eye tracking device that might diagnoseĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases through measures made in a matter of seconds. Currently a prototype, the device captures neurodegeneration by mapping what is called fixational…
May 19, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD MS Patients Have More Aluminum Content in Their Brains Than Those Without Neurodegenerative Conditions, Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases have a significantly higher aluminum content in their brains than those with no known neurological impairment and no identifiable neurodegenerative disease, a recent study found. The research further supports a role of aluminum in the development of these brain conditions,…
December 18, 2019 News by Mary Chapman BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Wins 2020 āBuzz of BIOā Award For its promising investigational therapeutic approach to neurodegenerative diseases, including progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics is theĀ Buzz of BIO 2020 winnerĀ in the Public Therapeutic Biotech category. The Buzz of BIO contest identifies U.S. companies with groundbreaking, early-stage potential to improve lives. The…
October 24, 2019 News by Alejandra Viviescas, PhD SARM1 Inhibitors Protect Neurons from Damage in Mice and Cell Cultures, Results Presented at Neuroscience 2019 Show SARM1Ā inhibitors are a potential oral treatment to slow disease progression in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to preclinical results that show theĀ inhibitors protect nerve cells from damage in mice and cell cultures. Researchers atĀ Disarm Therapeutics presented the findings in a poster titled “…
October 2, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD NFIA Protein Essential to Astrocytes, Brain Cells Active in Spinal Cord Repair and Remyelination, Study Suggests A protein known as nuclear factor I-A (NFIA) is key for spinal cord repair and timely remyelination by astrocytes ā the most abundant cells in the brain and first responders to sites of injury, findings in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) suggest. In brain lesions, NFIA is…
April 15, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Web Portal That Detects Cognitive Changes via Language Tests Detailed in Study A new web portal called Talk2Me that detects early changes in language could help doctors diagnose or determine progression in neurodegenerative disorders likeĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), the scientists who created it suggest. The open platform portal, whichĀ gathers language data through an array of cognitive tasks performed…
February 25, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Podocalyxin Helps Protect Blood-brain Barrier During Inflammation, Mouse Study Shows Podocalyxin, a protein found in cells lining the interior of blood vessels, is key for maintaining the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in mice with systemic infection, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Disruption of the…
January 9, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein BrainStorm Expands Production of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy NurOwn for Phase 2 Trial in Multiple Sclerosis BrainStorm Cell TherapeuticsĀ announced that the production of its therapyĀ NurOwn will be expanded to support upcoming clinical trials, namely a Phase 3 trial in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a Phase 2 trial in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). BrainStormās proprietary, stem cell-based technology called…
April 19, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #AAN2018 – Biogen Data Covers Work into an MS Blood Biomarker, Cognition and Life Quality Research that points to aĀ potential blood biomarker ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, relates cognitive difficulties to patients’ employment and other measures of socioeconomic status, and one-year results of an ongoing clinical trial are among data presentations planned byĀ BiogenĀ for theĀ annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This year’s…
July 27, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Columbia University Researchers Record Action of Receptor Linked to Neurodegenerative Diseases The neurotransmitter glutamate triggers most brain signals by activating proteins on the surface of neurons called glutamate receptors. Columbia University Medical Center researchers have taken the first 3D images of the AMPA-subtype glutamate receptors involved in several brain activities, including memory and learning. By increasing scientists' understanding of how the receptors work, the images could offer insight into the role that faulty receptors play in the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimerās, and Parkinsonās. And that insight could lead to therapies. āWith our new findings, we can now, for the first time, visualize how the neurotransmitter glutamate opens glutamate receptor ion channels,ā Dr. Alexander Sobolevsky, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia, said in a news release. āThis is the fundamental process that directly affects learning and memory, and finding its structural determinants has been the primary goal of molecular neuroscience since the ā90s," added Sobolevsky, the senior author of the study. For the brain to work properly, neurons need to communicate with each other. To do that, they use neurotransmitters, small compounds that pass from one cell to a receptor on another cell. Glutamate is the neurotransmitter involved in many of these communications, and glutamate receptors are the structures that gather up many of the signals. Several types of glutamate receptors participate in cognitive functions. AMPA receptors ā a subgroup of glutamate receptors ā are known for their fast activity, opening and closing in less than a millisecond. Because they work so fast, they are involved in rapid brain responses, such as rapid perception and reaction to the surrounding environment. For years, researchers have tried to understand how AMPA receptors work. In previous studies, Sobolevsky's team learned how the receptors regulated both the speed and strength of cell communications. In the recent study, the researchers used advanced imaging techniques developed by Dr. Joachim Frank to record the actions of the AMPA receptors. Frank, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and biological sciences, was a co-author of the study. The images showed that AMPA receptors open in the presence of glutamate or a similar signaling compound. The mechanism can be compared to a cameraās iris, or aperture. The signaling particles pass through the opening, triggering electrical signals necessary for brain activity. āThese new fundamental discoveries have implications for our understanding of neurotransmission by glutamate, our brainās major neurotransmitter,ā said Edward C. Twomey, a Ph.D. candidate who was the first author of the study. āUnderstanding these processes will impact future studies on glutamate receptor signaling in neurodegenerative diseases as well as drug design.ā
June 29, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Poor Caregiver Mental Health Might Shorten Lifespan of MS Patients Under Their Care The stress of caring for a family member with multiple sclerosis (MS) or another neurodegenerative disease may directly affect the quality of care, according to a study showing that poor caregiver mental health causesĀ higher mortality rates among the patients they care for. The study, published in the journal Proceedings…
May 2, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Two Proteins Play Key Roles in Regulating Brain Inflammation, MS-related Study Shows Neuroinflammation is an essential process in the development and progression of several neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimerās and Parkinsonās. Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have discovered that proteins known as NLRC4 and NLRP3 play key roles in regulating mechanisms involved in brain…
March 21, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kadimastem Obtains US Patent for Neurodegenerative Disease Stem Cell Technology The United States has granted a patent toĀ Kadimastem’sĀ stem cell-based technology for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases of the nervous system. The patent involves the technology the company used to produce supporting cells in the central nervous system derived from human stem cells, including myelin-producing cells. TheĀ United…
January 23, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Astrocytes Can Turn Aggressive and Kill Neurons, Potentially Groundbreaking Study Says In what may be one of the most significant discoveries in neurodegenerative disease, researchersĀ 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…
January 12, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Proximity to Heavy Traffic Raises Dementia Risk – But Not That of MS, Study Finds The effect air and noise pollution can have on the development of neurodegenerative diseases is not fully understood, but results from a large study published in The LancetĀ suggest living close to heavy-traffic roadways could increase theĀ risk of developingĀ dementia ā but not other neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS)…
October 14, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Regular Exercise Found to Repair Damage to Neurons in Brains of Mice Voluntary running triggers a molecule called VGF, a nerve growth factor,Ā 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…
September 7, 2016 News by Charles Moore Earlier Detection, Timely Treatment for MS, Parkinson’s Possible with Virtual Reality Tool Scientists at Russia’sĀ Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) and Siberian State Medical University (SSMU), bothĀ inĀ Tomsk, have developed a diagnosis system for neurodegenerative diseases in the early stages. The system uses virtual reality (VR) technology to immerse a subject in a virtual environment during functional tests designed to detect early symptoms of…
May 25, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Mitochon Raises $1.6M to Begin Clinical Tests of Mitochondrial Modulators for MS Mitochon PharmaceuticalsĀ announced the completionĀ of a second year of financing, raising a total $1.6 million to advance itsĀ lead compound, MP101, a mitochondrial targeted neuro-protective agent, into clinical testing. The company is developingĀ mitochondrial modulators for patients with neurodegenerative diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’sĀ toĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). A number of studies have…
April 29, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD $185M Gift to UCSF Will Support New Neurosciences Institute A gift worthĀ $185 million from Joan and Sanford I. Weill toĀ the University of California San FranciscoĀ (UCSF) will allow the university to expand itsĀ neurosciences programs and facilities,Ā advancing its research work into psychiatric, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). The gift, the largest single donation in UCSF history, is…
March 18, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Resistance Training in Ms Patients Found to Improve Hip Strength, Walking Ability Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineĀ released preliminary results of an ongoing study intoĀ an effective and progressive resistance training program to improve hip strength and walking ability, areas ofĀ concern in neurodegenerative diseasesĀ like multiple sclerosis (MS). The program, consisting of exercises using resistant…
December 15, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Nerve Degeneration Triggered by Chain Reaction in Cells Researchers in theĀ United Kingdom recently discoveredĀ that a small molecule triggers the destruction of axons, a phenomenon observed in neurodegenerative diseases likeĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is titled āWallerian Degeneration Is Executed by an NMN-SARM1-Dependent Late Ca2+ Influx but Only Modestly Influenced by Mitochondriaā and appears inĀ the journal…
December 3, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society of Canada Helps Fund Pediatric Study of Gut Bacteria The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation recently announced the funding of new research on pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and on the role played by the gut microbiome in brain and autoimmune diseases. Although onlyĀ around 5% of all newly diagnosed MS cases…