July 27, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Novel Machine Learning Technique May Help ID Tremor Specific to MS A new machine learning strategy was able to differentiate tremor specific to multiple sclerosis (MS) from tremor related to other diseases, with more than 90% accuracy, according to a new study. “The proposed method, with high classification accuracy and strong correlations of [tremor] features to clinical outcomes, has clearly…
June 18, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Brainstorm Secures NurOwn-associated Patents in Several Markets In the past year, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics was granted four patents and is waiting for a fifth, already accepted, meant to provide protection for its NurOwn cell therapy and technology in territories around the world. NurOwn is being tested in clinical trials as a potential treatment for…
June 15, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD ERT Acquires APDM With Goal of Better Data for Movement Disorder Trials ERT, which specializes in clinical trial data collection, announced it has acquired APDM Wearable Technologies (APDM), a provider of wearables and digital biomarkers, to improve the accuracy of key efficacy measures used in clinical studies of multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinsonās, and other movement disorders. A…
January 27, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Living Near Major Roadways Raises Risk of MS and Other Neurologic Ills, Study Says People living close to major roads or highways are at a greater risk ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā a database study of people in metropolitan Vancouver reports. Parks and other green spaces in urban areas that might lower exposure to air pollutants did not affect a person’s overall risk of developing MS,…
August 19, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NHS ‘Toolkit’ Aims to Improve Care Given People with MS, Other Neurological Ills in UK The National Health Service (NHS) EnglandĀ announced an initiative that aims to speed diagnoses and ensure better all-around care for people with progressive neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, and motor neuron disease (MND). Experts at NHS England, as part of the NHS RightCare…
July 16, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD 3-D Brain Models of PPMS and Parkinson’s Off to Space Station for Research in Microgravity The National Stem Cell Foundation announced the start of a pioneering project to investigate the impact of microgravity on the neurodegeneration associated withĀ primary progressive multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The project, a collaboration between the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, theĀ Summit for Stem Cell, and investigators withĀ Aspen Neuroscience, will send 3-D brain organoids derived from patients with these disorders, for a first time, to the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-18. This flight, set to launch on July 21 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, is a test run for a 30-day study of neurodegeneration in microgravity set to take place on the space station this fall. "The National Stem Cell Foundation is delighted to be funding innovative science at the frontier of new drug and cell therapy discovery. The leading-edge research findings that have developed through this collaboration between important research groups may fundamentally alter our understanding of how and why neurodegeneration occurs," Paula Grisanti, chief executive officer of the NSCF, said in a press release. These organoids, or 3-D cellular brain models, contain microglia ā cells that normally support and protect neurons. Microglia are implicated in the brain inflammation and disease progression seen in people with Parkinson's, PPMS, and other neurodegenerative disorders. The project will allow scientistsĀ in the near absence of gravityĀ to study how these cells interact with each other, migrate, send and receive chemical signals, change their genetic signature, and promote brain inflammation. As such, investigators may get a glimpse of all the biological mechanisms involved in PPMS and Parkinson's in ways not feasible on Earth. This work might lead to understandings and advancements with a direct impact on the development of medicines and cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. Space Tango is leading the transport and maintenance logistics, to ensure the cells arrive at the ISS in the best possible condition and remain viable during the 30 days they will remain in orbit. To that end, the company has developed a series of automated systems intended to surpass conventional lab techniques, and allow space station researchers to work with a higher number of samples than typical, and use high-throughput techniques to easily analyze them. According to the company, these automated systems are not intended exclusively for research on the ISS, but may also be used by research facilities worldwide to support and accelerate scientific innovation. "The vision the National Stem Cell Foundation brings to using new approaches to science and creating collaborations between leading experts in Parkinsonās disease and multiple sclerosis from across the country is truly unique," said Jana Stoudemire, commercial innovation officer at Space Tango. "In addition to supporting the development of tissue chip platforms for microgravity, Space Tango is excited to expand capabilities for human 3-D brain organoid models that will assist in studying some of the most challenging diseases we have yet to truly understand," Stoudemire added. "We are very pleased to support this important research on the ISS."
May 22, 2017 News by James Frederick, PA-C, MMSc US Blacks, Hispanics Less Likely to Get Neurological Care in Doctor’s Offices and Clinics African- and Hispanic-Americans are less likely than whites to receive care for neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis in a doctor’s office or clinic, according to a study. Many of them end up in a hospital emergency room after failing to obtain treatment that could have helped them avoid an…
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)…
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…
March 14, 2016 News by Charles Moore Multiple Sclerosis News Today to Provide On-site Coverage of 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology The 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) will be held this week — March 17-20 — in Lisbon, Portugal, and Multiple Sclerosis News Today will be there to cover and report on the proceedings. CONy 2016 co-chairs Prof. Amos Korczyn and Prof. Victor Oliveira noted that in…