research

The rate of relapses in children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) tends to increase around the time that menstruation begins, a new study reports. The findings suggest hormonal changes at the onset of puberty may trigger higher disease activity. The use of oral and infusion disease-modifying therapies (DMT)…

Smoking and obesity are both independently associated with faster disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), but when both risk factors are present together, a synergistic effect results in faster disease progression than can be explained by either alone. “Smoking and obesity significantly interacted to increase the risk of disability…

A Phase 2 clinical trial is currently recruiting adults with relapsing types of multiple sclerosis (MS) to investigate Zenas Biopharma’s experimental therapy obexelimab as a weekly subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, injection, the company has announced in a press release. The study, called MoonStone (NCT06564311), is open to…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patient Lynda Whitton has been granted MS Australia’s 2024 John Studdy Award in recognition of her advocacy, leadership, and fundraising efforts for MS and other neurological diseases in her hometown of Bunbury and across Australia. The nonprofit’s top award is given each year to people…

Mikael Simons, MD, a neurologist at Technical University Munich, has been awarded this year’s $125,000 Barancik Prize for his extensive research on myelin, a protective coating that sheathes nerve cells and becomes damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). Run by the National MS Society and funded by the Charles…

A three-month course of acupuncture was associated with gains in certain aspects of cognition for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in a small clinical trial. The traditional Chinese medicine was also linked to less fatigue, improved sleep, and reductions in certain psychological problems such as depression. The findings…

While people with multiple sclerosis (MS) seem to get a similar quantity of sleep relative to individuals without the disease, MS patients have significantly worse sleep quality than their healthy counterparts, according to a new review of several published studies. The findings show that MS may affect a person’s…

Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) face a significantly higher risk of mental illness during and after pregnancy than those without the disease, according to a new study that analyzed data from more than 890,000 women in Canada. Mental health issues, mostly anxiety and depression, affected 42% of women…

Stem cell transplant can be considered a viable treatment option for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) who are young, early in the disease course, do not have other major health issues, and have failed to respond to available medications, according to a new set of recommendations. The procedure…

Intranasal foralumab can modulate a number of immune cell types in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a study showed, revealing new immune biomarkers that show how the therapy exerts its effects in people with the condition. After three months of treatment, gene activity data showed that…

Enigma Biomedical has entered into an agreement with Neuraly to use its PET imaging tracer PMI04 to visualize microglia activity in people with neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Microglia are resident immune cells in the brain that are believed to play a role in driving…

Tech company Century Health has entered into a partnership to organize and clean Nira Medical‘s datasets from more than 3,000 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to help make clinical data more available for researchers to explore insights toward developing new treatments. “We’re thrilled to partner with Nira…

The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has cleared Pheno Therapeutics to initiate a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial to test its oral candidate PTD802 in healthy volunteers. The therapy is a selective small molecule antagonist, or inhibitor, of the GPR17 receptor and is designed to restore…

Cabaletta Bio is getting set to launch a clinical trial testing its cell therapy resecabtagene autoleucel (rese-cel) in people with relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The company sought permission last year from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start the study. Once such…

For women with multiple sclerosis (MS), disability starts to worsen significantly faster after menopause, according to a new study. “The study shows that menopause represents a unique factor in MS progression, even when we take into consideration the effects of aging,” Riley Bove, MD, study co-author at the University…

Patient enrollment has been completed ahead of schedule in a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Contineum Therapeutics‘ PIPE-307, an oral therapy aiming to restore myelin — a process known as remyelination — in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the company announced. The VISTA trial (NCT06083753), launched…

A Phase 1 clinical trial that is investigating a new vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a well-established risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers has dosed its first participant. The vaccine, called MDX2201, is being developed by Modex Therapeutics, an Opko Health company,…

Immunic Therapeutics says it remains “on track” in testing its multiple sclerosis treatment candidate vidofludimus calcium in twin Phase 3 clinical trials with people who have relapsing disease — and in the Phase 2 CALLIPER study involving those with progressive forms of MS. Indeed, in a new company…

OCS-05, an experimental medication that Oculis is developing to treat acute optic neuritis, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that can lead to vision loss, was well tolerated and improved measures of vision and eye health in a Phase 2 clinical trial. The ACUITY study (NCT04762017) included…

IRX4204, a compound that Io Therapeutics is developing to treat neurological diseases, facilitated myelin repair and improved walking abilities in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a recent study, scientists report. “Our findings support the therapeutic potential of IRX4204 to promote functional neurologic recovery in…

In the five years leading up to a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, children and adolescents often experience obesity and symptoms such as sensory disturbances and vision problems — potential early signs of MS that could help in diagnosing the condition, according to a new study. Indeed, the study reports…

Most treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) don’t increase the risk of major problems when used during pregnancy, an analysis showed. “We found that most therapies were not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth or major birth defects,” Kerstin Hellwig, MD, study co-author and MS specialist at…

The team at Multiple Sclerosis News Today has brought our audience the latest news about treatments, scientific research, and clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout 2024. Here is a list of the top 10 most-read articles we published this year. We look forward to continuing to serve…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) show significant differences between actual age and vascular age, an indicator of heart and blood vessel health, even if they don’t have any cardiovascular disease, a study found. The difference became more pronounced with the presence of additional cardiovascular diseases, reaching a peak among…

Men with multiple sclerosis (MS) who started on high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) experienced significantly fewer relapses than those who started with moderate-efficacy DMTs, according to real-world claims analysis involving more than 10,000 U.S. patients. “No significant difference in relapse was found among females,” researchers wrote. “This observation highlights…

The incidence of late-onset multiple sclerosis (LOMS), a form of multiple sclerosis (MS) that begins after age 50, has risen steadily between 2005 and 2020, particularly among people in their 60s, scientists in Italy report. “Our study is the first population-based study describing the IR [incidence rate] of LOMS…

Exercise effectively reduces fatigue and improves muscular fitness in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), though the optimal exercise type and dose differ for each outcome, according to a meta-analysis of published studies involving more than 3,500 patients. Mind-body exercise, which combines physical movement, mental focus, and controlled breathing, was…

IMP761, an experimental immunotherapy Immutep is developing for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune conditions, has shown a promising safety profile in an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial  in healthy volunteers, with no treatment-related side effects reported to date, the company said. The first-in-human Phase 1 trial…

About four in five adults with stable multiple sclerosis (MS) for at least five years remained free of disease activity after stopping first-line treatment with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT), according to a study based on data from the DOT-MS clinical trial. Still, disease activity reemerged in roughly 20%…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough therapy designation to Sanofi’s BTK inhibitor candidate tolebrutinib for the treatment of adults with nonrelapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). According to Sanofi, tolebrutinib is the first investigational BTK inhibitor with the ability to reach the brain…