The rate of disability progression among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has slowed over the years due to advances in disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), according to a long-term analysis. Patients diagnosed in recent decades have experienced fewer progression events associated with relapses, called relapse-associated worsening (RAW), and also…
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Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a plant-derived small molecule that can promote the growth of cells that produce myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). The naturally occurring molecule, sulfuretin, blocks the activity of an enzyme that…
Increased production of cholesterol by stem cells in the brain contributes to neurological damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study conducted in lab-grown cells. Findings suggest cholesterol-lowering medications can reverse this damage, implying such treatments might be able to be repurposed for MS. “Cholesterol metabolism has…
Abnormal activity of ancient viral genes may play a role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders, a study found. “Future functional studies are essential to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying their involvement in these conditions,” the researchers wrote. The study, “…
An independent data monitoring committee has recommended that the twin ENSURE Phase 3 trials testing vidofludimus calcium in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) continue as planned without adjustments. The opinion that the trials are worth continuing was based on a review of interim, unblinded trial…
Transplanting genetically engineered oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which give rise to mature myelin-making cells, significantly boosted myelin repair in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS)-like chronic brain lesions. The cells were engineered to ignore chemical signals that would normally inhibit OPCs being recruited into lesions and then restore…
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is awarding a total of $4.6 million in funding to advance research into how the protective myelin sheath that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) can be repaired — a step toward developing new treatments for the disease. Five research projects have been chosen…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have a slightly higher cancer risk than the general population, according to a recent study in France that reviewed a decade of data from more than 140,000 MS patients. The risk of bladder, brain, cervical, and kidney cancer was significantly increased in MS…
Combining the approved medication Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) with targeted therapy using a patient’s own immune cells may eventually be a promising way of treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. The targeted therapy uses tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs), which are being tested in clinical trials, to make…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who better adhere to an at-home therapy regimen with the PoNS device — which provides electrical stimulation to the brain and is approved for use in combination with physical rehabilitation — may experience greater improvements in walking function. That’s according to early data…
By studying pairs of identical twins, researchers have identified a population of immune cells whose early activation and migration into the brain might contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) onset. MS patients showed an altered profile of a population of immune cells called CD8 T-cells in the blood relative to…
The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) has received a $100,000 donation from EMD Serono, known as Merck Kgaa outside North America, to honor the foundation’s late CEO June Halper by supporting a nursing scholarship fund in her memory. Halper was a former nurse practitioner…
Plasma exchange (PLEX) therapy is effective for severe relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who respond inadequately to standard corticosteroid therapy, according to a new study conducted in Serbia. Better outcomes were seen in younger patients and in those with low disability scores at the time of…
A sublingual formulation of cladribine, which is the active ingredient of the approved oral treatment Mavenclad, in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), showed comparable pharmacological properties to its name-brand counterpart. That’s according to preclinical data announced by BioNxt Solutions, the formulation’s developer, in a company press release.
Anti-CD20 therapies like Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and rituximab appear to be ineffective at slowing disability progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a form of the disease characterized by symptoms that steadily worsen over time, according to data from a real-world study in France. The study,…
The MS Society of Canada is hosting its annual MS Read-a-Thon, a fundraiser where children are encouraged to read for a month to support people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in their community. Funds raised will help boost the organization’s support programs for patients and research into a…
Acupuncture may be a promising complementary approach for easing fatigue and improving quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small review study and meta-analysis. Still, the study highlighted a need for future clinical trials that use more standardized acupuncture approaches, according to the researchers,…
Poltreg will receive a patent in China that covers the administration of its cell-based therapy PTG-007 for multiple sclerosis (MS) via an injection into the spinal canal, or intrathecally. The method showed superior benefits compared with PTG-007’s intravenous infusion into the bloodstream in a Phase 1b/2a study of people…
A revised version of the McDonald criteria, a set of guidelines used to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS), is expected to include additional features that will help doctors make an accurate diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease, even if patients have yet to manifest clinical symptoms. The…
Sanofi’s tolebrutinib significantly delayed disability progression, by 31%, and increased the rates of disability improvement compared with a placebo in people with nonrelapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to new data from the HERCULES Phase 3 clinical trial. The investigational BTK inhibitor also was found to significantly…
Taking high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D) as a supplement is safe and can nearly double the time it takes for people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a first manifestation of neurological symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS), to experience new disease activity. That’s according to data from D-Lay-MS…
An online education program called “Eating Well with MS” improved the dietary behavior of adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), and was deemed in a study to be practical to complete, interesting, and valuable for patients. “Our study completion rates highlight the practicality of the intervention,” the researchers evaluating the…
The pharmaceutical company Médunik Canada and Population Council, a nonprofit research organization, are teaming up to investigate the potential use of segesterone acetate, a derivative of the hormone progesterone, as a multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. The compound is expected to promote the restoration of myelin, the…
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has updated its Pathways to Cures Roadmap to account for recent scientific advances in the search for a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). The details were provided in the report, “The refined Pathways to Cures Research Roadmap for…
A clinical trial is evaluating whether combining a cognitive rehabilitation program with a virtual reality (VR)-based aerobic exercise regimen will improve learning and memory in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and motor disability. Researchers expect the approach will show cognitive benefits via positive effects on a brain region called…
Having antibodies against the rubella virus is associated with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in unvaccinated people, a Swedish study suggests. The findings show a rubella infection may be a risk factor for MS, reinforcing the hypothesis that certain viral infections may trigger the misleading immune…
A year of treatment with the experimental BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib was safe and nearly entirely suppressed signs of disease activity, including relapses, disability progression, and brain lesions, in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new data from the open-label extension part of a Phase…
Treatment with rituximab, a CD20 inhibitor used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, can stabilize disability progression and reduce disease activity in people with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to a review of several published studies. These benefits were reported over a mean follow-up of two years, and…
Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS), wherein mild electrical impulses are applied to the tibial nerve located near the ankle, may help with sexual dysfunction related to multiple sclerosis (MS) in both men and women, a study suggests. The study, “Tibial nerve stimulation in the management of primary sexual…
Researchers uncovered a mechanism by which regulatory T-cells (Tregs), immune cells that keep the immune system in check and prevent its overactivity, become dysfunctional in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune conditions. Tregs from MS patients exhibited increased levels of a protein called PRDM1-S that ultimately caused…