research

In a recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, a team of researchers from Germany identified an association between increased physical activity and improved mental health in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Based on the results, the researchers believe that physical activity and exercise have considerable health…

Nano-drugs encased in liposomes could one day be used to treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published July 6th in the journal, PloS One. A liposome is a small, fat soluble droplet that can contain a water soluble drug. Liposomes might…

Researchers at Spedali Civili of Brescia in Italy recently published findings in the journal PLoS One that Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) can improve cognitive impairment in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over the course of at least three years. The study is entitled “Natalizumab Significantly…

The ability to assess risk may decline as multiple sclerosis disease status progresses over time, as determined by a recent study from University of Alberta in Canada. Principal investigator Esther Fujiwara, PhD, and lead author of the study, Ashley Radomski, used the game of dice task (GDT) to challenge patients…

A new study led by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center recently revealed that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience cognitive deficits due to a decreased connectivity between functional networks in the brain. The…

Recent attention to the role of mitochondria in the etiology of multiple sclerosis (what causes the disease) suggests that mitochondrial defects and mitochondrial structural and functional changes may contribute to the disease. Researchers studying mitochondria in multiple sclerosis believe abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics impact cellular pathways such as inflammation and…

Alexander Gow, Ph.D., a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has just been awarded a research grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to fund his exploration of a novel model of MS pathology. Gow is a holder of the Charles H. Gershenson Distinguished Fellow Professor…

Researchers at Immco Diagnostics and the State University of New York in Buffalo recently reported in the journal PLoS One that the frequency of specific auto reactive antibodies does not differ between patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and people without the disease — a finding…

MedDay, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapies for nervous system disorders, recently announced encouraging data on its pivotal Phase III clinical trial (MS-SPI) assessing the safety and efficacy of the company’s investigational therapy MD1003 for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The data was presented at The…

In women of childbearing age, low vitamin D levels are a common issue often resulting from low intake of vitamin D (in food) and/or inadequate sunlight exposure, although other less frequent causes exist, including genetic disorders and pregnancy. The most identified consequence of vitamin D deficiency in women is sub-optimal bone…

Researchers at United Arab Emirates University in Abu Dhabi have recently published in the journal BMC Neuroscience new insights into the involvement of mitochondria and energy metabolism in the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS) in rats. The study is entitled “Bioenergetics of the spinal…

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, LMU clinicians have clarified the lifespan of antibody-producing cells and have also identified a novel biomarker that could be used to monitor autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis and lupus erythematous. The humoral immune response is mediated by cells…

An international team led by researchers at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland revealed that a short period of 8 to 12 weeks is the optimal timing to be considered when patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are switched from natalizumab to fingolimod therapy. The study was recently published…

In an effort to access firsthand patient data as a means of improving healthcare and drug safety, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a unique partnership with  PatientsLikeMe, an online network of 350,000 patients who have reported on their own personal experiences in living with over 2,500 different diseases. The…

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapies for chronic disorders of the central nervous system, recently announced the beginning of a Phase 2 study that will assess the efficacy of amantadine HCl (ADS-5102) in patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) who suffer from walking impairments. “We are…

With 26 states plus the District of Columbia now allowing medical marijuana use, according to a recent North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) survey, many people with multiple sclerosis are considering the herb as a therapeutic option. NARCOMS is a research program that allows people with Multiple Sclerosis…

RedHill Biopharma Ltd. enrolled the final patient for its Phase IIa, proof-of-concept study testing RHB-104 in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who test positive for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). RedHill is evaluating RHB-104 as an add-on therapy to interferon beta-1a for a treatment…

In a recent review published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, German researchers explored the complexity of interwoven pathways of osteopenia, and how it relates to diseases such as MS. Osteopenia is a bone condition characterized by a decreased density of bone, which leads to bone…

A study recently published in the journal PLoS One compared the use of a specific treatment based on interferon beta-1a with other approved injectable therapies in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study is entitled “A Network Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Evaluation of…

In a recent meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, a team of researchers found evidence regarding the association between specific polymorphisms of the gene CD24 and MS using a method that combined data from case-control studies with family-based data. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and…

Researchers at the Don C. Gnocchi Foundation and the University of Milano in Italy recently discovered that the levels of a specific RNA molecule vary in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) according to their disease stage and clinical progression. The study was published in the…

Researchers at Monash University and the MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research in Australia recently proposed that specific human stem cells with immunomodulatory properties represent a new promising therapeutic strategy for diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation and…

An exciting new discovery has turned the medical world upside down, and could have important implications for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). It turns out that previously undiscovered vessels exist that connect the nervous system and immune system directly. The study, titled “Structural and functional features…

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disorder often mistaken for multiple sclerosis, is similar in that it is characterized by myelin destruction in the optic nerves and spinal cord. In contrast to multiple sclerosis, as reported by the Transverse Myelitis Association, NMO does not initially affect…

In a recent study published in The Journal of Immunology, researchers from a Northwestern Medicine lab discovered a potential clue about why women are more likely than men to develop autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers used a specific white blood cell, called the innate lymphoid cell,…

Researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada recently conducted a study that explored the differences in lifespan and comorbidities in patients with multiple sclerosis compared to healthy individuals. The study was recently published in the journal Neurology and is entitled “Effect of comorbidity…

A new study confirmed that depression and chronic fatigue often occur in multiple sclerosis (MS); and in a related condition known as neuromyelitis optica (NMO). NMO is similar to MS because myelin–the fatty substance that insulates nerve cells and helps them to communicate–is also lost. In NMO the myelin deteriorates mostly…

Exploratory research conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Illinois at Chicago may translate into a new therapeutic agent to treat progressive multiple sclerosis. Researchers in the laboratories of Dr. Jefferey L. Dupree and Dr. Douglas L. Feinstein tested a new compound in mice with induced multiple sclerosis…

Researchers in the Department of Immunology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis were able to identify a faulty “brake” in immune cells which may be involved in the inflammation triggering multiple sclerosis (MS). This brake is believed to be able to control inflammation, offering the potential for the development of new…

A new study recently published in the journal Annals of Neurology revealed a potential new therapeutic strategy to halt multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression. The study is entitled “Melanoma cell adhesion molecule–positive CD8 T lymphocytes mediate central nervous system inflammation” and was led by…