research

Dr. Richard Reynolds of Imperial College London spoke of the importance of philanthropy to research during a December 2015 visit from Nigel Furmston, a supporter of multiple sclerosis (MS) research, who came to the Hammersmith Campus to award the scientist and his team £50,000 to continue its work into disease development. Furmston, whose wife Sharon suffers from…

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada recently published a report documenting and summarizing the most important developments in multiple sclerosis (MS) research during 2015. In early 2015, a Society-funded clinical trial was initiated to study the potential abilities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat MS. The MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy…

A new study from The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, found that the inflammatory molecule CXCL12 promotes neuronal repair during spontaneous remission in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of human multiple sclerosis (MS). The chemokine CXCL12 was previously thought to be a pro-inflammatory molecule only. But recent findings have shown…

Tiziana Life Sciences, plc, a biotechnology company specializing in drugs to treat immunological and oncological diseases,  recently announced its intent to further develop foralumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the CD3 receptor. This approach, aiming to modulate the immune T cell response and achieve immunosuppression, is well-validated and has the potential to…

IQuity Labs, which specializes in diagnostic tests for autoimmune and other diseases, recently announced that it has received $2 million in seed funding to support the launch of its test panels, diagnostic tests designed to confirm the presence or absence of disease at the very onset of symptoms. The first to…

A Canadian study showed that child-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by increased functional connectivity within the brain, most likely a compensatory effect to preserve function and protect against physical disability. The study, titled “Alterations in Functional and Structural Connectivity in Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis,“ was published in the journal …

A new source of stem cells, the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the human periodontal ligament (hPDLSCs), offers a potential treatment capable of halting multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. The study, “Alternative source of stem cells derived from human periodontal ligament: a new treatment for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis,” was published…

In a recent study, a team of researchers argued that, contrary to what has been proposed, subclinical Bordetella pertussis colonization is an important cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “The potential role of subclinical Bordetella Pertussis colonization in the etiology of multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal…

The 5th International Symposium on Gait and Balance in MS, held in September 2015, focused entirely on research into balance and its loss in multiple sclerosis (MS). Nearly 100 clinicians, scientists, engineers, and others sharing this research interest gathered to discuss why and how often MS patients fall, and how to…

Ralph H. Benedict, PhD, professor of neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo (UB), has been selected by The International Neuropsychological Society (INS) to receive the 2016 INS Mid-Career Award, also called Arthur Benton Award, for his work on…

A new randomized and controlled trial is recruiting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to investigate the effect of a mindfulness-based telemedicine intervention program on patients and their caregivers. The clinical study’s protocol was recently published in the journal Trials, titled “A telemedicine meditation intervention for people with multiple sclerosis…

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech have discontinued the use of higher doses of the drug laquinimod in two ongoing multiple sclerosis (MS) studies. The decision was based on a recommendation by the Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) that is supervising the clinical trials after cardiovascular events, none of which were fatal,…

A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE described a new technique with the potential to spot brain changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) before the onset of symptoms. The technique, which measures brain dynamic activity and brain entropy, may lead to the development of diagnostic — and possibly prognostic —…

Researchers found that a group of untreated patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) carry a specific group of hyperactivated immune cells, the inflammatory CD8+ T cells, suggesting a potential common mechanism contributing to disease pathogenesis. The study, “A Preliminary Comparative…

In a special feature published in the journal American Health & Drug Benefits, authors Stanton R. Mehr, President of SM Health Communications, and Marj P. Zimmerman, President of RxDirections, discuss the many unmet medical needs multiple sclerosis (MS) patients still face in dealing with the…

Results from a small pilot study indicated that high-dose vitamin D supplementation is safe and tolerable in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and that it can reduce the presence of autoimmunity-causing immune T cells. Patients are now being recruited for a larger clinical trial. The study, entitled “Safety and immunologic…

A new study investigated the influence of sleep disturbance, fatigue and disability on the quality of life (QOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Health-related QOL measurements are important tools for assessing the impact of a disease on self-reported physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning. Most studies show that QOL is not related to…

Novoron Bioscience, Inc., a biotech company focused on developing therapies for disorders of the central nervous system, recently announced that it has received a $680,000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to assess the potential of a new therapeutic approach to induce remyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is…

Difficulties with cognitive function and fatigue are the main reasons patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) struggle to stay gainfully employed, a new study published in the December edition of the International Journal of MS Care has found. The study is titled “Factors Associated with Employment Status in Individuals with…

Multiple Sclerosis News Today has reported the latest therapies, clinical trial developments, and events in multiple sclerosis (MS) on a daily basis throughout the past year. As 2015 comes to an end, here are the year’s 10 articles most widely read by  Multiple Sclerosis News Today readers, each with a brief summary of the developments…

In a new study, researchers evaluated the effect of dalfampridine treatment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and observed significant improvements in not only walking speed and distance, but also in gait and balance. The paper, titled “Dalfampridine Effects Beyond Walking Speed in Multiple Sclerosis,” was published in the…

A research team recently showed that key enzymes of energy metabolism pathways are differentially expressed in active and inactive multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, and may contribute to axonal degeneration in MS. The study, titled “Differential expression of glucose-metabolizing enzymes in multiple sclerosis lesions,” was published in the…

The upcoming 9th annual “Glial-neuronal Interactions in Health and Disease” symposium will bring together nearly 200 neuroscientists — focused on neuron and glial cell interaction and its affect on diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) — to discuss the latest findings in this area of brain research. The daylong symposium is to be held…

Alkermes plc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on therapies for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, announced that it has successfully met its 2015 goals for their product and late-stage pipeline drug portfolio, including ALKS 8700, a monomethyl fumarate (MMF) drug candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis…

In a new study, researchers from the University of Toronto, Canada, uncovered the process behind the formation and maintenance of tertiary lymphoid tissues (TLTs), structures found in the meninges in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Their findings, reported in the article “Integration of Th17- and Lymphotoxin-Derived Signals Initiates…

Akaal Pharma, a developer of small molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammation and autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS), recently announced highly positive preclinical trial results on the safety and efficacy of its drug candidate AKP-11 when compared to Gilenya (fingolimod, FTY-720), an oral MS drug approved by…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced that a panel of experts led a comprehensive review of 142 published studies addressing rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS), and found evidence suggesting that weekly in-home or outpatient physical therapy offers benefits — but, mostly, it found a lack of well-designed studies into…

Researchers are proposing for a first time that multiple sclerosis (MS) is triggered by the death of a specific cell population within the central nervous system called oligodendrocytes. The study, titled “Oligodendrocyte death results in immune-mediated CNS demyelination,” was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Oligodendrocytes,…

Addex Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule allosteric modulators for neurological disorders, recently announced the publication of positive results from studies evaluating the therapeutic effect of ADX88178, a metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) modulator, in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. The research article, titled “Allosteric modulation…

Researchers in the United Kingdom recently discovered that a small molecule triggers the destruction of axons, a phenomenon observed in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is titled “Wallerian Degeneration Is Executed by an NMN-SARM1-Dependent Late Ca2+ Influx but Only Modestly Influenced by Mitochondria” and appears in the journal…