NIH

COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Testing Extra Dose in MS, Other Diseases

A new clinical trial launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is evaluating the impact of an extra dose of an approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccine in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseasesĀ who did not properly respond to an original vaccine regimen. Approximately 600 people will…

New Research Project Will Study Nerve Cell-Glia Communication

A new research project, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to better understand how different types of cells in the nervous system ā€” specifically neurons and glia cells ā€” communicate with each other and ultimately affect both motor and non-motor functions. Its findings may have important implications…

NIH Awards $2.3M to Bioengineer to Advance Diagnosis, Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

TheĀ National Institutes of HealthĀ (NIH) awarded a $2.3 million grant to a bioengineer at Indiana Universityā€™s Luddy SchoolĀ of Informatics, Computing and Engineering to improve diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The project aims to find ways to detectĀ disease-associated cells based on their ability…

$7.2M NIH Grant Supports Study of MS Diagnostic Biomarker

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $7.2 million grant to a team led byĀ Cleveland ClinicĀ researchers that will study whether a new biomarker might more accurately diagnoseĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). Grant money will support a study in 400 adults suspected of having MS to determine if the…

Evidence of Lymph Vessels in Human Brain May Offer New Insights into MS, Other Disorders

Groundbreaking evidence of the existence of lymphatic vessels in the human brain could answer the question of how the brain gets rid of waste products, and holds clear implications for neuroinflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The lymphatic system is a network that helps the body to rid itself of toxins and waste products. Lymphatic vessels, which are similar to blood vessels, transport a clear fluid ā€“ lymph ā€“ which is filtered in lymph nodes. It has long been thought that the brain lacks lymphatic vessels. However, a team of researchers at theĀ National Institutes of Health (NIH), building on previous research in rodent brains, recently found evidence that the brain may actually drain waste through lymphatic vessels. The researchers injected healthy volunteers with a magnetic dye called gadobutrol, which is usually used as a contrast agent to image blood vessels. They then scanned the brains of these individuals using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under specific settings. This allowed them to view the dye within the outer layer of the brain, known as the dura. The MRI revealed that the dye was visible both as dots and straight lines, which might indicate lymph vessels. This suggested that the dye leaked out of blood vessels into the dura and were later 'picked up' by lymphatic vessels. These vessels were not seen when the volunteers were injected with another dye that does not leak out of blood vessels.Ā Evidence of lymphatic vessels in the brain was also found in autopsied human brain tissue. Although a pair of 2015 studies had shown evidence of lymphatic vessels in the brains of mice, this is the first study that demonstrates that a similar system exists in human brains.Ā ā€œFor years we knew how fluid entered the brain. Now we may finally see that, like other organs in the body, brain fluid can drain out through the lymphatic system,ā€ Reich saidĀ . In addition to changing the way we think about the lymphatic system and the brain, this study lays the foundations for future research to investigate whether the function of the lymphatic system is altered in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis or other disorders affecting the nervous system.

Nortis Awarded $688K Grant from NIH to Develop ‘Living’ Model of Blood-Brain Barrier for Research

Nortis, a Seattle-based biotech company, has received a $688,000 grant by the National Institutes of Health to create a living, 3-D model of the human blood-brain barrier that will be used for laboratory testing to accelerate drug development and lessen the likelihood of failure in clinical trials. This grant provides funding for a third year of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award given to Nortis by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a branch of the NIH. SBIR provides grants to U.S.-based small businesses to do federal research and enable the commercialization of technology. The blood-brain barrier is a tissue barrier that only allows certain molecules to pass from blood vessels into the brain. It is a protective mechanism to prevent the entry of foreign bodies and infection-causing organisms in the brain. Researchers are trying to find ways of delivering medications across this barrier, to reach brain tissues to treat diseases that include multiple sclerosis. "Understanding how drugs are transported across the blood-brain barrier and interact with the brain presents a significant scientific challenge," Thomas Neumann, CEO of Nortis and principal investigator on the project, said in a press release. "More predictive preclinical models based on human tissue are urgently needed to reduce costs and minimize clinical trial failures," he added. "This grant will help us develop new in-vitro alternatives to traditional pharmaceutical drug development testing on laboratory animals."

Information on Clinical Trials to Be More Complete and Accessible Under New HHS Rules

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recentlyĀ announced policy changes designed to make information about clinical trials of investigational drugs, biologics and products more widelyĀ available to the public, issuing amended rulesĀ that specify the requirements for registering clinical trials and for submitting summary results to itsĀ ClinicalTrials.govĀ website. The…

Welcome or Not, FDA Focuses on Stem Cell Treatments

News that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to hold a public hearing next month to consider greater oversight of stem cell clinics operating in the country is as welcome as it is late. I say “late” because, while the regulators have been twiddling their fingers,…

Multiple Sclerosis Trial for Lisinopril Granted $1.4 Million in New Funding From NCATS

Transparency Life Sciences, LLCĀ (TLS), the first clinical-stage drugĀ development company based on open innovation in the world, recentlyĀ receivedĀ a $1.4 millionĀ Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant intended for its phase IIa proof-of-concept study, which is assessing the utility of the ACE inhibitor lisinopril as an adjunctive treatment for patients with multiple…