research

A combination of drugs widely used in anti-aging studies seems to compromise the function of the brain’s myelin-making cells and cause profound myelin loss, according to the findings of a new study in mice and lab-grown cells. The dual treatment, which combines dasatinib and quercetin, also known as D+Q, caused…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experience their first symptoms after age 50 tend to have faster disability progression than those with earlier disease onset, according to a recent study. The also more commonly develop primary progressive MS (PPMS). In addition, late-onset MS was associated with a higher risk of…

Most people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have persistently high levels of antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but these antibodies are much less common in people with other neuroinflammatory diseases and in healthy people, a study found “This study indicates that serial testing for EBV-specific antibodies could serve as…

While many genetic factors that increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) are shared across ancestral backgrounds, a study identified a variant that may reduce MS risk in South Asian people, which had not been seen in European studies — suggesting that studies focusing mainly on people of European descent…

Although the total number of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased globally in recent decades due to population growth and aging, MS is causing fewer deaths and less disability now than in the past, according to a new study. Predictions also suggest that this trend toward reduced…

A researcher at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia has received funding from MS Australia to uncover how genetic risk factors contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS). Hamish King, PhD, will use the AU$400,000 (about $281,000) grant to investigate how more than 100 genetic changes linked to MS…

A type of immune cell that has received little attention in multiple sclerosis (MS) research may play a key role in driving the disease. A study found that some people with MS had abnormally high levels of virus-fighting CD8 T-cells in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for making myelin, are constantly being made throughout the brain and spinal cord, even when there’s no myelin damage, according to a new study by U.S. researchers. These findings challenge the long-held view that oligodendrocyte precursor cells mostly differentiate into oligodendrocytes at sites of damage…

Inflammatory gut bacteria that carry proteins structurally similar to myelin, a protective layer surrounding nerve fibers that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), may trigger the development and progression of the disease, according to a new study done in mouse models. The findings may pave the way toward new…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may follow two distinct biological paths that differ in how early and how quickly nerve damage develops, according to a new study. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze brain MRI scans together with a blood test linked to nerve damage, researchers identified one MS pattern marked…

The balance between two immune signaling molecules — CXCL13 and BAFF — may help identify the hard-to-treat inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that’s thought to be a major driver of disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. The findings may help identify which patients are…

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have children experience significantly longer waits before receiving a diagnosis than women without children, according to a new U.S. study. On average, each child was associated with an additional 1.28-year delay in diagnosis. The delay was even longer among women whose symptoms…

Quantum Biopharma has completed dosing in two toxicology studies requested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that aim to support the launch of clinical studies of Lucid-MS, an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) that’s designed to slow myelin loss. The 180-day toxicity and toxicokinetic…

Throughout 2025, the team at Multiple Sclerosis News Today brought our readers the latest advances and updates in research related to multiple sclerosis (MS). Below are the top 10 most-read news stories we published this year. We look forward to continuing to serve the MS community in 2026 and…

Immutep’s experimental immunotherapy, IMP761, continues to demonstrate a favorable safety profile, along with sustained suppression of T-cell activity, immune cells that are overly active in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. These findings are based on data from healthy people enrolled in an ongoing first-in-human Phase 1…

Relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) may be more common in spring and summer, coinciding with warmer temperatures, low humidity, and greater fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, according to a study from Poland. Stressful life events and infections were the most frequent potential relapse triggers, the study found.

In people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with the antioxidant lipoic acid did not improve walking or lessen other symptoms, such as fatigue, but it did show signs of slowing brain atrophy, or the loss of brain tissue. According to the researchers, this suggests possible positive biological…

An enzyme called CEMIP could be a target for small-molecule inhibitors that aim to promote myelin repair in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions marked by myelin loss, a study found. Researchers discovered that CEMIP, which is elevated in areas of inflammatory nerve damage in people with…

Myelin, the protective coating that helps nerve signals travel quickly and efficiently, also plays a key role in the precise timing of communication between brain cells, a new study from scientists in the Netherlands shows. In a mouse model, the researchers found that the loss of myelin disrupted the coordination…

Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have more paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — areas of chronic active inflammation seen on MRI scans — tend to lose more brain volume over time, a  new study found. These lesions were common in pediatric MS, a rare form of the disease…

A signaling molecule called erythropoietin (EPO) plays a key role in allowing the immune system to distinguish the body’s own cells from foreign threats, a study found. The findings could lead to new treatments for diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), in which the immune system inadvertently starts to attack…

A Georgia State University researcher won a $1 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) grant to study whether a program combining cognitive training with exercise can help prevent falls in older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). “Falls are so common — and frightening — in older adults,” Katherine…

Octave Bioscience is entering into a collaboration with Quest Diagnostics to expand access to its multiple sclerosis disease activity (MSDA) test, which uses data from a set of blood biomarkers to measure how active a patient’s disease is in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Although the MSDA…

People who drink coffee may have a more than 20% lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with those who do not, according to a new analysis of published studies that pooled data from more than 4,500 participants from seven countries. “These results suggest that coffee consumption might…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have higher levels of Fusobacterium nucleatum in the mouth — bacteria that can contribute to periodontitis, a serious gum infection — may be more likely to experience more severe symptoms, according to a study from Japan. This finding adds to recent preclinical evidence…

Resistance training may be the most effective type of exercise for easing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), especially when programs last longer than eight weeks, a meta-analysis found. The study, “Effects of exercise on fatigue and quality of life in multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysis…

Disability progression is not always permanent for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), even when it occurs independent of a relapse, a new study has found. Researchers report that nearly one-third of RRMS patients who experience progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) see their disability levels ease in the…

Oligodendrocytes, the cells that build and repair myelin in the brain and spinal cord, may play a role in the inflammatory processes involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), even at the earliest stages of disease, according to a study in a mouse model. “We found that oligodendrocytes transition to disease…

Simultaneously measuring levels of two blood proteins — glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) — may offer a clearer way to track both disease activity and disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new long-term study. Each…

A Phase 2 clinical trial testing PIPE-307, an experimental therapy designed to support myelin repair in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), has failed to meet its primary or secondary efficacy goals. The U.S.-based VISTA trial (NCT06083753) enrolled more than 180 adults with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). Participants received…