A new machine learning tool could help make clinical trials for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) more efficient and effective, a study suggests. Its scientists propose that the tool, when used in initial patient studies, works to more rapidly move a potential progressive MS treatment into pivotal Phase…

NurOwn, a stem cell therapy being developed by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, showed a good safety profile among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in an open-label Phase 2 clinical trial, according to new data. The data show the experimental therapy also was associated with promising effects on…

Off-label use of high-efficacy disease modifying therapies (DMTs) for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) appear to be as effective as on-label, or approved, DMTs for this MS patient group, a review study from Brazil suggests. The meta-analysis, which included data from controlled clinical trials, found that…

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…

People with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and those with greater MS-related disability have a significantly greater risk of serious infections relative to people without the disease, according to a population-based study in Sweden. Notably, these associations were observed regardless of the use of disease-modifying therapies, many…

Loss of gray matter in the spinal cord clearly associates with greater disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but determining the extent of its loss is limited by an inability to accurately measure gray matter in all patients, a small study in Spain reported. The true amount of…

Repeat harvesting of bone marrow cells and infusing them back into the bloodstream is safe and feasible in people with active progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a small, proof-of-concept clinical trial. Results were detailed in the study, “Repeat infusion of autologous bone marrow…

Nearly three of every four participants in the CONSONANCE clinical trial, which is evaluating Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in people with primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), showed no evidence of disease progression after a year of treatment. That’s according to new data presented at the American Academy of…

Administering the stem cell therapy NG-01 — designed to have neuroprotective and neuro-regenerative properties — directly into the spinal canal can significantly reduce the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a neuronal damage biomarker, in people with active, progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These are the new…

Among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease type and the use of anti-CD20 therapies — such as ocrelizumab and rituximab — were associated with an increased risk of death from COVID-19, a new meta-analysis revealed. “We hope that these findings … may help neurologists in optimizing…

Into-the-vein treatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) failed to significantly reduce brain inflammation or improve clinical conditions among adults with active multiple sclerosis (MS) in an international Phase 2 clinical trial, according to final study data. The trial, which used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to assess…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. In people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), neuron loss…

An upcoming conference focused on progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) will offer the latest insights about the underlying biology of the disease, and treatment and clinical strategies in development. The one-day conference, “Emerging Research & Trial Strategies for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis,” is taking place virtually on Oct. 4,and is…

An interaction between immune cells and glia cells in the brain, mediated by the C1q complement system protein, appears to drive chronic inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), new research shows. Inhibiting this protein helped to resolve inflammation in mouse models of MS and in tissue cultures, its researchers found.

Moderate-to-severe bowel dysfunction was detected in 14.5% of adult people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study reports. The prevalence of bowel dysfunction was increased in women and in patients with progressive forms of MS, higher disability, older age, and longer disease duration. Despite the prevalence of bowel dysfunction…

After some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating whether Mavenclad (cladribine) can slow hand and arm function worsening in adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and very limited walking abilities, has recruited its first patient. The study, ChariotMS (NCT04695080), aims to…

Three scientists in the U.K. were given awards by the International Progressive MS Alliance that will support projects aiming to explore new approaches to treating progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The three are among this year’s 19 winners of the alliance’s Research Challenge Awards, which totaled £1.2 million…

NurOwn cell therapy led to significant improvements in the physical abilities, vision, and cognition of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a Phase 2 clinical trial, top-line data show. In addition to these positive efficacy results, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, NurOwn’s developer, announced that its cell-based therapy showed…

Injecting rituximab — a cancer therapy sometimes used in multiple sclerosis — into the spinal canal of people with progressive forms of MS did not demonstrably lower inflammation or improve clinical conditions, according to the results of a small trial. “Contrary to the initial high expectations, no clear-cut effect on…

Doctors in the U.K. are planning a “mega-trial” to investigate several marketed therapies — at the same time — as potential treatments to halt the progression, or even reverse the disabilities, of multiple sclerosis (MS). The world-first Octopus trial, named for its various arms, will enable researchers to concurrently…

Multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated inflammation in the cerebral cortex — the outermost layer of the brain that is involved in cognitive function — prompts the destruction of neural connections by specific immune cells, according to a study in a mouse model of MS. These immune cells targeted dendritic spines (nerve…

Scientists have discovered epigenetic changes in a gene called HTR2A, found only in immune cells isolated from people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a study reported.  These findings suggest that such changes — external modifications to DNA that turn genes…

The 2020 Sobek Research Prize has been given to Alan J. Thompson, MD, a physician scientist with University College London, for his pioneering work in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the National MS Society announced. The prize is jointly awarded by the German National MS Society (DMSG) and…

Patient dosing has finished in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing NurOwn, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics’ investigational cell-based therapy for people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The trial’s top-line results are…

Treatment with NG-01 — an approach that uses patients’ own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) — safely and effectively delayed disease progression in people with active, progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to final data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Delivering these cells directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)…

A non-invasive retina imaging technique known as optical coherence tomography (OCT) provided evidence of the neuroprotective effect of ibudilast (MN-166) — an oral medication designed to reduce the body’s inflammatory responses —  in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The data also…

Genentech’s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) continues to be the most prescribed treatment for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) among U.S. neurologists, according to the latest Spherix Global Insights’ report. However, Novartis’ Mayzent (siponimod) “is beginning to close the gap” with Ocrevus among those with active secondary progressive MS…

MD1003, MedDay Pharmaceuticals’ high-dose biotin therapy, failed to significantly improve functional ability or walking speed in people with non-active progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. Besides failing to meet the trial’s goals, the therapy was associated with inaccurate results in…

Compared to low-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), high-efficacy medications are more effective at slowing the loss of nerve cells making up different layers of the retina — the region at the back of the eye that enables one to see — in patients with relapsing-remitting…

While the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the psychological well-being of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), it led to minimal changes in depression, anxiety, and quality of life, according to data from an international survey. This was true even for the 4% of patients who reported…