Researchers at Stanford University have partnered with Kyverna Therapeutics to conduct an investigator-initiated clinical trial of the company’s cell-based therapy, KYV-101, in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) without relapses. The open-label Phase 1 trial (NCT06138132) will take place at the Stanford Multiple Sclerosis…

The level of proteins called kappa free light chains in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — may be used as a diagnostic marker to identify the presence of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. Testing for…

Higher blood levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a molecule involved in inflammation, may predict a faster rate of brain shrinkage, or atrophy, in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). That’s according to a new analysis of data from the SPRINT-MS Phase 2 trial (NCT01982942) that…

People with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) at younger ages are more likely to have higher disease activity, suggesting they may respond better to disease-modifying therapies, according to a review of published studies. “Our findings confirm that younger patients tend to have more inflammatory activity, and so younger…

Diagnosing primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) can be challenging, with obstacles ranging from ruling out other disorders to differentiating between PPMS and other types of multiple sclerosis (MS). These difficulties were highlighted in the study, “Real-world challenges in the diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis,” published…

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) can greatly reduce quality of life for patients and affect their ability to work, according to real-world data collected from a German MS registry. These results “confirm the steadily deteriorating course of PPMS accompanied by increasingly limited quality of life,” researchers wrote. The study,…

People with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) may experience more severe inflammatory activity and nerve damage early on in the course of their disease as compared with individuals who have secondary progressive MS, a new study indicates. The results also suggest that primary progressive MS patients tend to have…

Using stem cells derived from people with multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers developed cerebral organoids, or “mini-brains,” to better study the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to the neurodegenerative disorder. Initial analysis showed that patient-derived stem cells, especially those from people with primary progressive MS (PPMS), tend to be…

You get used to … Hold on there, matey boy. Be honest and write “I.” This column has a reputation for brutal honesty (I’m sure someone has referred to it that way over the past five years), so don’t get all coy now that you’re not the center of medical…

Well, I survived! I would’ve never believed something so seemingly insignificant could cause such devastating and lasting effects on my health. I’ve had urinary tract infections (UTIs) before, as they’re a complication of self-catheterization with multiple sclerosis (MS). But this was the mother of all UTIs. It started…

AM radio is infamous for bad reception, resulting in nothing but static. You can search the dial frequency by frequency, and it’s all static. Occasionally you will cross a station, but then the car moves, and the reception is lost again. When I’m overwhelmed with the heat, that’s what…

Oh, brother, it’s hot! How hot? Well, my thermometer hit “are you kidding me” levels. My experience with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) has taught me that an 0.5-degree rise in body temperature is enough to cause a shutdown. Allow me to explain what it’s like when my…

On Feb. 28, 2021, my wife and I visited the MS clinic where I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). After receiving this life-changing news, I was an emotional wreck. While touring the clinic, I saw a person in a wheelchair go into an exam room.

An independent committee of experts has recommended that the Phase 2 portion of the EMBOLD clinical trial continue as planned without a sample size adjustment, following an analysis of safety and effectiveness data. The trial is testing Atara Biotherapeutics‘ experimental medication ATA188 in progressive forms of multiple…

In poker, a tell refers to a change in an opponent’s behavior or demeanor that may offer clues about the cards they’re holding. This could be a facial movement, an unusual breathing rhythm, an unconscious shift in body position, or a strange monetary bet. Recognizing a player’s tells may help…

If you weren’t aware (I wasn’t), last Friday, June 17, was National Eat Your Vegetables Day. The day wasn’t created to tout any special diet per se, but to increase awareness of the benefits of vegetables in a healthy diet. If you were already aware of those benefits, then…

When I turned 50 in 2013, I blew out the candles, and bam! I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I started seeing an endocrinologist and a neurologist, taking daily diabetic medications, and testing my blood sugar every day. At that point, I was not physically disabled in any…

Masitinib, AB Science’s experimental oral therapy, significantly slows disability progression in adults with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and non-active secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to final data from the AB07002 Phase 2b/3 clinical trial. These findings, indicating that the trial met its main goal, support…

The French Health Authority has approved AB Science’s request to launch a Phase 3 clinical trial to confirm the safety and effectiveness of its lead candidate masitinib in adults with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and nonactive secondary progressive MS (SPMS). “We are very excited to initiate…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continues to be the most commonly prescribed therapy for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), including primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to an analysis from the market intelligence firm Spherix Global Insights. However, other therapies are “gaining traction” among…

A Phase 3 clinical trial testing the effect of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) on upper limb disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is recruiting participants. The trial, called O’HAND (NCT04035005), expects to enroll approximately 1,000 adults with PPMS, ages 18 to 65, at more than…

Abata Therapeutics has opened with $95 million in financing, and plans to use regulatory T-cells to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, starting with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Money raised will be used to support work for three clinical trials it plans to initiate in 2025, including…

“If I were you two, I think I’d plan for the worst,” Amy, my physiatrist, said to my wife and me as we sat in the examination room. It was just after 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 18. January has become one of two pivotal months in terms of…

Like a lot of people with MS, I took part in the “Great Ocrevus Rush of 2017,” with the fanfare surrounding the release of the first therapy in the United States known to have some ability to stem the advancement of primary and secondary progressive MS.

Long-awaited approval of the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has been delayed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What had been publicized widely as a late December 2016 FDA approval hearing has now been pushed to late March 2017. The drug’s manufacturer, Genentech, issued a very…

Results from the ORATORIO trial, exploring Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for the treatment of primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), showed that the drug stopped disease progression for more than two years in more patients than a placebo. The findings, a highlight at the European Committee for Treatment and Research…