research

A new study published online before print in the journal JAMA Neurology reports that three years on, most members of a small subject group of patients with active relapsing-remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis (MS) who had received an experimental high-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) followed by a transplant of their own…

Given the fact that MS is a chronic, progressive, and disabling disease for which there is no cure, the multiple sclerosis community is always looking forward to the latest news regarding new therapies, devices or scientific findings about treating and curing the disease. These are the top 14 news stories of 2014 from…

A team of researchers from Italy recently examined if p53 genetic variants influence synaptic and toxic effects of cytokines in the neurodegenerative processes that occurs in Multiple Sclerosis. The study, entitled “Interleukin-1β causes excitotoxic neurodegeneration and multiple sclerosis disease progression by activating the apoptotic protein p53,” was recently published…

A study published on December 22 in JAMA Neurology emphasizes that a standard measurement used to gauge multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, known as “no-evidence-of-disease-activity” (NEDA) is important for determining how the disease will progress long-term. MS is the most common degenerative neurological condition that affects young adults worldwide.

Researchers in Spain have found that specific fat stem cells from mice could be excellent tools for studying transplantation of stem cells in autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The work was published in the December 12th issue of the journal, Stem Cell Research & Therapy. The…

Icometrix, a biotechnology company focused on unique projects for diagnosing and treating multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, has designed new software for the measurement of brain lesions and brain volumes and their changes over time. MS, a chronic and neurological condition that affects about 2.5 million people throughout the world, is often first detected in patients at…

Mapi Pharma Ltd., a development stage pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of high-barrier to entry and high-added value generic drugs, announced it has treated the first patient in the Phase IIa study of GA Depot for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Lead investigator Professor Ariel Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Head of the Multiple Sclerosis & Brain…

A new study on the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to treat neuroinflammatory and demyelinating disease entitled “SEMA4D compromises blood–brain barrier, activates microglia, and inhibits remyelination in neurodegenerative disease” was published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease by Ernest S. Smith part of…

A new Multiple Sclerosis pilot study was awarded a $39,000 grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to investigate how patients’ sensation in their feet while standing impacts balance and whether their ability to walk is improved through the use of vibrating insoles. Multiple Sclerosis is characterized by the destruction of the…

In a new study, researchers based at the Imperial College, London will follow in unprecedented detail the events and experiences in lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in order to improve evaluation protocols for MS treatments. MS is estimated to afflict more than two million people globally, more…

A team of researchers from Ohio State University received a $44,000 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to fund the development and testing of an interactive video game designed to promote and supplement physical therapy among patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), an…

Researchers have uncovered new information about myelin, a fatty substance that wraps around the axons of brain cells (neurons) allowing them to transmit information quickly from one cell to another. De-myelinating diseases in which the insulating wrap is damaged include multiple sclerosis, in which unpredictable loss of myelin causes…

2014 was a year of major progress in research for treating and curing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This year the National Multiple Sclerosis Society reports that the organization invested over $50 million into 380 new and ongoing research initiatives and projects for MS. The Society remains highly…

A team of researchers from the Case Western Reserve’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing has designed a 24-week exercise program tailored specifically for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in varying states of disease progression. The program drew inspiration and structure from a series of informational pamphlets…

Researchers from Canada and the U.S. have found that brains of young people with multiple sclerosis fail to develop fully. The article appeared November 5, 2014 in the journal Neurology entitled, “Onset of multiple sclerosis before adulthood leads to failure of age-expected brain growth.” Multiple sclerosis is caused…

The “2014 Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutic Update,” published in the journal Neurohospitalist by author Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MCR, provides a positive outlook on the state of current treatments and research for future treatments of multiple sclerosis. A host of new therapies, as well as common-place…

In a recent study entitled “Detection of protein aggregates in brain and cerebrospinal fluid derived from multiple sclerosis patients” a team of researchers reported to have detected soluble oligomers in both brain and cerebrospinal fluid samples from multiple sclerosis patients. The study was published in the…

A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside, along with other collaborators, have identified a drug associated with estrogen, indazole chloride (Ind-Cl), that blocks the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings were reported December 1st in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MS…

A recent study entitled “STAT5 programs a distinct subset of GM-CSF-producing T helper cells that is essential for autoimmune neuroinflammation” describes a new subset of T helper immune cells – TH-GM – that express a particular cytokine profile with implications in therapeutics for multiple sclerosis. The study was…

Luoxis Diagnostics, Inc. recently presented three clinical and preclinical findings that feature the company’s proprietary RedoxSYS™ Diagnostic System as a comprehensive, groundbreaking tool for research capable of assessing a patient’s oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in the event of injury, illness, or stress. The findings were presented as peer-reviewed posters during the recently concluded …

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have found a new type of immune cell that could aid in the development of treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). The study was published on November 21 in the journal Cell Research entitled, “STAT5 programs a distinct subset of GM-CSF-producing T helper…

Researchers in the laboratory of Steve Goldman, MD, PhD, Co-Director of University of Rochester Center for Translational Neuromedicine, are delving deeper into the science behind progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a disease caused by the JC virus, which commonly affects multiple sclerosis patients and others with compromised immune…

The Cognitive Rehabilitation for Attention and Memory trial (CRAMMS), a major study to be conducted on patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, was recently awarded £1,167,000 ($1,828,000) by the British National Health Service (NHS), through its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Program. The study, which is expected to be the largest trial of its…

The Alliance for Children’s Therapeutics recently announced its plans to broaden its scope of research programs to include several diseases, namely, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), asthma, and multiple sclerosis (MS) — a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that is estimated to affect 300,000…

In a poster session at the Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, ENDECE Neural presented pre-clinical results showing their lead drug – NDC-1308 – induces remyelination in mouse models of demyelination disease, such as Multiple Sclerosis. Loss of myelin is the main characteristic of a group…

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is trying to assess the possibility of predicting good and bad days for people suffering with multiple sclerosis (MS) and help them to achieve a higher quality of life. The four-week pilot program enrolled almost 100 participants that wore a body sensor patch,…

In a study entitled “Developmental endothelial locus-1 is a homeostatic factor in the central nervous system limiting neuroinflammation and demyelination” the authors report to have found a new protein, Del-1, that reduces the severity of multiple sclerosis disease in a mouse model of the disease. The…

A team of researchers at the Tel Aviv University report the role of obesity as a major risk factor triggering and maintaining autoimmune diseases, such as Crohn’s Disease and multiple sclerosis. The study was published in Autoimmunity Reviews. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system reacts against the body…

Photo From University of Alberta The company behind FDA-approved multiple sclerosis drug AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a), Biogen Idec, together with the government of the province of Alberta, has…

Drug manufacturers Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech announced that they expanding the ongoing clinical research program for the study of laquinimod, a potential treatment for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), as the companies are now initiating the ARPEGGIO trial. In addition, Teva has also announced…