research

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are about half as likely as those without the disease to have signs of the amyloid-beta plaques in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in the U.S. “Our findings imply that some component of the biology…

Obesity promotes molecular signatures associated with more inflammation and multiple sclerosis (MS) signaling pathways specifically in females, which may explain the link between obesity and a higher risk of MS in women. These are the findings of a new study analyzing data not only from obese and non-obese women…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to Immpact Bio to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial to test IMPT-514, its experimental cell therapy, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). With the investigational new drug (IND) clearance by the FDA, Immpact Bio now…

Abata Therapeutics has received an investment from Bristol Myers Squibb to support the development of its experimental regulatory T-cell (Treg) therapies for severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The new equity investment from the global biopharmaceutical company follows last week’s green light from…

A Phase 1 clinical trial that’s testing IMP761, an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune conditions, has dosed its first healthy participant, the therapy’s developer has announced. Immutep received regulatory clearance to start the first-in-human trial of IMP761 in the Netherlands about a…

A grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supporting a U.S. study into the physical, cognitive, and psychological responses that may underlie a fear of falling in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the $96,812 two-year grant by the agency’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child…

A specific epigenetic marker, or a chemical modification in DNA that alters gene activity, may explain why adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells respond differently to therapies aiming to restore myelin than their neonatal counterparts, a study reports. The modification, called a lysine eight acetylation on histone H4, helps to regulate…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who drink low to moderate amounts of alcohol have significantly less disability progression in the years following diagnosis than non-drinkers, a study found. The trend was especially pronounced among women. Although the findings suggest that drinking alcohol may have beneficial effects in some…

TG Therapeutics plans to soon launch a Phase 1 clinical trial to investigate the CAR T-cell therapy azercabtagene zapreleucel, or azer-cel, in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The announcement comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared TG’s…

People with multiple sclerosis show subtle alterations in gut bacteria that seem to be consistent across populations in the U.S. and Asia, a new analysis of previously published studies found. “Our work … establishes a generalized and common gut microbiome pattern in patients with MS across geographically and technically…

Indapta Therapeutics will launch a Phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S. in the second half of 2024 to explore its cell-based therapy IDP-023 in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The announcement follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) clearance of the company’s investigational…

PIPE-307, an experimental oral therapy that’s currently in Phase 2 testing for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), was shown to promote myelin repair in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The preclinical findings were published in PNAS, in the study “Targeting the muscarinic M1 receptor…

Three innovative projects aimed at addressing unmet needs in multiple sclerosis (MS) and fostering new perspectives on the disease have received incubator grants from the nonprofit MS Australia. Totaling AU$74,813 (or about $48,700), the grants will support one-year projects that focus on MS social needs, disease biomarkers, and…

About a third of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) exhibit cognitive impairments, according to a review by Australian researchers of 50 previously published studies. The findings suggest that cognitive issues might be somewhat less common in RRMS than previous reports have indicated, with prior estimates ranging from approximately…

Blocking the activity of a protein called connexin 43 (Cx43) may be an effective strategy to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study in animal models of the disease. A compound called INI-0602, which was designed to inhibit this protein, significantly eased disease severity in mice, including…

Iaso Biotherapeutics has received the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start clinical trials of its investigational CAR T-cell therapy equecabtagene autoleucel (eque-cel) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The FDA’s clearance of the company’s investigational new drug (IND) application makes MS the…

Inflammation outside of the brain and spinal cord, which can be caused by infections like the common cold, flu, or urinary tract infections (UTIs), is associated with more damage to the nervous system in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to the study “…

Kesimpta (ofatumumab) is more effective than Aubagio (teriflunomide) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) from ethnically diverse groups, including Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, and Asian individuals, according to an analysis of pooled clinical trial data. “Determining whether there are differences in how people respond…

Immutep has been cleared to start a Phase 1 clinical trial in the Netherlands to test IMP761, its experimental antibody therapy for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers. The first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial seeks to assess the safety and pharmacological properties of IMP761.

Using machine learning to analyze eye scans can help detect slight changes that may be early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially aiding in early diagnosis of the disease, a study found. The study, “SLO-Net: Enhancing Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Beyond Optical Coherence Tomography Using Infrared Reflectance…

A PhD student at the UMass Chan Medical School will use funding from a newly awarded fellowship to advance his research into the mechanisms used by cells to repair myelin, the protective sheath around nerve cells that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating conditions. The ongoing…

Levels of the immune cell protein CHIT1 at diagnosis, taken from the spinal fluid via a spinal tap, may strongly predict how fast disability progression will occur in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. Compared with standard clinical measures used to predict disease progression — such…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to experience a short-term reduction in disability and brain lesion volume after receiving stem cell therapy, according to a meta-analysis of nine studies detailing randomized clinical trials. After six and 12 months, however, the researchers found no differences in disability between patients…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients exhibited greater resistance to the effects of insulin — the hormone responsible for keeping the body’s blood sugar levels within a healthy range — and had higher overall insulin levels compared with people without the neurodegenerative disease, a meta-analysis of published studies found. These findings…

Using a newly developed molecular analysis, a research team has discovered previously unknown subsets of immune cells and genes that may play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-mediated diseases. “We discovered new types of helper T cells as well as genes related to immune disorders. We…

Abata Therapeutics is expected to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial by the end of the year to test ABA-101, its experimental therapy for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), after getting a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA approved Abata’s investigational new drug…

The Australian government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has awarded AU$2.9 million (about $1.96 million) to support a project focused on developing artificial intelligence (AI) precision medicine strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS). The project will be conducted by a team of investigators that will include neurologists, neuroradiologists, and data…

Nearly one year of treatment with frexalimab, an antibody being developed by Sanofi, significantly reduced the blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve cell damage that typically is elevated in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from a company-sponsored…

A panel of 20 proteins in blood may be used to quantify disease activity, namely relapses and lesions, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new paper proposes. “A multi-protein panel like the one developed in this study has the capability to capture the state of a patient’s MS…

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an investigational new drug application from Synaptogenix, clearing the company to launch a clinical trial to test whether its lead candidate bryostatin-1 can prevent cognitive decline in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT06190912),…