The National Multiple Sclerosis Society recently announced that a research team is recruiting 132 patients with a diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) for a Phase 3 clinical study comparing an experimental medicine with an inactive placebo. NMOSD is a rare disorder caused by immune system cells attacking…
research
In a recent study, researchers show how a natural antioxidant within pomegranate seeds is capable of inhibiting demyelination in a mouse model for multiple sclerosis (MS), supporting novel formulations of natural antioxidants as therapeutics for demyelinating diseases. The study, “Treatment of a multiple sclerosis animal model by a novel nano drop formulation of…
Ms. Margaret Cadden, a Pennsylvania State University doctoral student in Clinical Psychology, has been selected by the American Psychological Foundation (APF) as the recipient of the 2015 APF Scott and Paul Pearsall Scholarship prize of $10,000. The scholarship will be used to research depression, stigma, and disease progression in individuals with varying…
Opexa Therapeutics announced that it has been named one of the “Top Projects to Watch” for the third consecutive year. A panel of independent experts recognized the biopharmaceutical company for its work in the development of personalized immunotherapies for autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO). Opexa was…
The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the U.K. recently announced awards targeted towards new MS research. In total, 16 projects carefully selected by both a panel of experts and patients living with MS will share MS Society 2015 funding grants amounting to £1,979,879. All projects fulfilled the requirements of high scientific…
Findings from two studies, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, indicate that high levels of salt alter the stability of the immune system and make it more susceptible to inflammation. The studies, which were led by Dr. David Hafler from Yale University and Dr. Dominik…
Several studies have shown that exercise can improve movement in multiple sclerosis (MS), but new research indicates that it specifically may also improve reaction time, a measurement of cognitive impairment. The study, titled “Acute effects of varying intensities of treadmill walking exercise on inhibitory control in persons with…
The United Kingdom based Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) recently announced £1.98 million in grants to new MS research projects in different disease-related areas. A panel of experts carefully selected 16 projects to be funded through the MS Society’s 2015 grant round, totaling £1,979,879. All selected projects fulfill the requirements of…
In a new study, researchers have revealed the previously unknown function of the FAM126A gene in supporting myelination (the formation of the myelin sheath that protects neurons), a critically important process in the development and recovery of acute exacerbations in multiple sclerosis (MS). The research paper, entitled “The leukodystrophy protein…
The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the United Kingdom recently announced the investment of £1.98 million in new MS research. After an in-depth, rigorous review process of the 58 applications submitted, 16 projects were awarded funding through the MS Society’s 2015 grant round totaling £1,979,879. All applications…
A research team from Oxford Brookes University is being given a £70,000 ($107,000) grant to analyze whether dark chocolate can help ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) will fund the study. The goal of the project, according to a press release, is to investigate if a…
The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS Society) in the United Kingdom recently announced the investment of £1.98 million in new MS research. The 16 projects awarded funding through the MS Society’s 2015 grant round were thoroughly evaluated in a rigorous review process. In total, 58 projects applied for MS Society…
In a recent study entitled “Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is ameliorated in interleukin-32 alpha transgenic mice,” a team of researchers investigated whether interleukin (IL)-32, a cytokine with an established role in rheumatoid arthritis, has a protective function in a mouse model of human multiple…
ForuMS is a new interactive and online “journal club” where clinicians treating multiple sclerosis (MS) patients or involved in research can discuss and analyze recent papers from top peer-reviewed journals covering the latest advances in disease diagnosis and management. The educational platform, sponsored by grants from Genzyme, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, and Medtronic, uses…
Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, and the Institut Pasteur, an internationally renowned center for biomedical research, recently honored four researchers with the Sanofi – Institut Pasteur Awards 2015 for their work in the fields of immunology and tropical and neglected diseases. One of the awardees, laureate in the Senior…
In a new study entitled “Reduced cortical microvascular oxygenation in multiple sclerosis: a blinded, case-controlled study using a novel quantitative near-infrared spectroscopy method,” a team of researchers at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary investigated whether frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy technology can measure the potential…
In a recent study entitled “Promotion of Remyelination by Sulfasalazine in a Transgenic Zebrafish Model of Demyelination,” researchers investigated whether sulfasalazine treatment, an anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating drug, could promote remyelination of axons in an organism model of demyelination diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published in the…
A major new report published by the U.K. MS Trust has determined that the country’s National Health Services (NHS) programs relied on by people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) are facing increasing pressures that could lead to inequities in care. Evidence from the Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire based MS Trust’s…
In a new study entitled “Untargeted plasma metabolomics identifies endogenous metabolite with drug-like properties in chronic animal model of multiple sclerosis,” a team of researchers performed a comparative analysis of metabolites between control mice and a mouse model with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE, the most commonly used…
In a recent study entitled “Myeloid cells as target of fingolimod action in multiple sclerosis,” a team of scientists investigated the impact of fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis), an approved drug for multiple sclerosis (MS), on the reactivity of myeloid cells, a key group that comprises several immune cells that…
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has dedicated over $21 million to fund 78 new multiple sclerosis (MS) research studies as part of a broad research plan designed to address MS, re-establish lost functioning caused by the disease in patients, and ultimately end the disease forever. This recent round of investment into MS research is…
A smartphone platform may eventually enable large-scale studies of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other neurologic diseases, according to the findings of a recent study published in the journal Neurology, Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation. Smartphones, highly portable and popular, provide a significant opportunity to incorporate information across…
In a recent study entitled “MicroRNA expression profiling of human blood monocyte subsets highlights functional differences,” a team of researchers discovered a pool of 66 microRNAs that underlie differences in phenotype and function of a group of immune cells with key roles in multiple sclerosis. The study was published…
Findings from a recent study published in the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy showed that standard approaches to evaluating muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) might be underestimating the patients’ capacities, encouraging clinicians to prescribe less effective exercises. In the study entitled “…
In a recent study published in the journal Immunity, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel reported the findings that a small subtype of immune dendritic cells plays a role in the prevention of both metabolic syndrome and autoimmunity. The study is entitled “…
In a new study entitled “Transcription factor Nr4a1 couples sympathetic and inflammatory cues in CNS-recruited macrophages to limit neuroinflammation,” a team of scientists discovered the mechanism by which autoreactive T cells are capable of penetrating a patient’s brain and induce multiple sclerosis. The study was recently published in the advance online issue…
Psychiatric comorbidity is common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and affects the MS community more frequently than a matched control population, although the incidence is stable over time, according to recent findings of a study published in the journal Neurology, the Official Journal of the American Academy…
Helius Medical Technologies, Inc., a company dedicated to neurological wellness, recently announced that the multiple sclerosis (MS) pilot study assessing the company’s investigational Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS™) device has met all of the study’s goals. PoNS is a non-invasive device that allows the delivery of neurostimulation through the…
A collective team of physician-researchers comprising Dr. Peter Calabresi from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Dr. Laura Balcer from NYU Langone Medical Center, and Dr. Elliot Frohman from University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine are the winners of the 2015 Barancik Prize for Innovation…
New research at the University of Adelaide, Australia, may help pave the way toward the potential inhibition of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. The study entitled “CCR2 defines in vivo development and homing of IL-23-driven GM-CSF-producing Th17 cells” was published in the journal …