research

Measures associated with how well individuals can modulate their backward walking speed could be used as a screening tool for mobility and cognition problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study by Michigan researchers. A diminished ability to alter walking speed on demand correlated with worse…

Bit.bio, a company that creates human-derived cell products, has launched a novel product called ioAstrocytes, which provides functional human astrocytes to help scientists model the brain and study neurological disease mechanisms or screen new drugs. Astrocytes are star-shaped cells in the brain and spinal cord that provide support…

When given a specific set of chemical cues, immune cells called neutrophils are able to take on healing abilities that allow them to help repair damaged nerve fibers, a study by U.S. researchers found. The researchers hope to build on this discovery to create new treatments for multiple sclerosis…

Researchers have identified characteristics of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) — a family of immune cells that help keep harmful immune reactions in check — that could make it easier to develop targeted treatments for autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS). They found that Tregs exist as a common pool that…

Two inverse vaccines from Nykode Therapeutics — developed to teach the immune system not to respond against its own body — worked to reduce disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. This adds to earlier findings that the company’s experimental approach and…

Siemens Healthineers has received the CE mark in Europe for a lab-based blood test that measures the levels of neurofilament light chain, known as NfL — a protein that gets released into the bloodstream upon damage to nerve cells — in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis…

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has awarded a $2.9 million, five-year grant to a research project that aims to advance a new technology that could improve stem cell therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders. “The work we plan to undertake has significant implications…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have elevated immune responses to more proteins of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) than previously thought, according to a new study. EBV-specific immune T-cells isolated from MS patients could also respond to multiple proteins found in the brain, particularly those associated with myelin,…

Most patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who took foralumab nasal spray for at least six months saw a decrease in microglial activity in their brains, according to its developer Tiziana Life Sciences. The results were gleaned from PET imaging data from 10 nonactive SPMS patients…

A three month cognitive rehabilitation program, with or without aerobic exercise, increased tissue volume and activity in brain regions linked to cognition among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), clinical trial data suggests. The MRI findings offer potential biological explanations about why cognitive rehabilitation leads to cognitive…

A large proportion of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience headaches as a result of their condition, and treatment with interferon-based therapies seems to increase the risk of worsening headaches or developing new ones, a study found. In contrast, the CD20 antibody rituximab that’s used off-label in MS…

A large clinical trial to test online programs for treating fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will launch in the U.S. in the coming months. The study — the largest of its kind — will be funded by a nearly $4.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of…

Dormant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) becomes activated during periods of disease relapse in multiple sclerosis (MS) and triggers inflammatory activity in multiple types of immune cells, a study suggested. Blocking EBV activation can reduce the inflammatory activity of immune cells, supporting the idea that targeting the dormant virus may…

TG Therapeutics is conducting two post-marketing studies to determine how safe Briumvi (ublituximab-xiiy) is among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as their babies. The goal is to generate data on the use of Briumvi during pregnancy and lactation…

Resistance training by middle-aged people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was linked with significant improvements in muscle strength in a recent meta-analysis of previous clinical trial data. The analysis indicated the benefits of such training, which is designed to boost strength and endurance, were more variable in fatigue and quality…

The Neural Sleeve developed by Cionic significantly reduced foot drop, which is a difficulty lifting the foot that often causes people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to drag their toes when they walk. The lightweight bionic garment is cleared in the U.S. to improve mobility in MS. In…

Understanding how exercise benefits people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is the aim of a trio of U.S. scientists who has published a new framework to help guide research into the subject. “Our objective is guiding the field toward evidence that facilitates the prescription and promotion of [exercise training] as…

Progentos Therapeutics said it received $65 million in funding to support the development of myelin regeneration medications able to restore function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases marked by myelin loss. The biotech company said it will use the funds to advance its MS program…

Rehabilitation approaches involving virtual reality (VR) may have beneficial effects on cognitive function and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but more research is needed to better understand its effects, according to a recent meta-analysis of 10 clinical trials. Small gains in certain aspects of cognition, including immediate…

Scientists in Iran have discovered a new way to convert astrocytes — star-shaped brain cells that support nerve function — into oligodendrocytes, the cells that make and repair myelin in the brain. When the converted cells were transplanted into the brains of mice with myelin damage like that seen in…

Certain biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord — around the time of a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis may help predict the time to reaching certain disability milestones among people with a relapsing-remitting (RRMS) disease course, according to findings from…

Microscopic connections between brain cells vary based on biological sex, according to a new study that used machine learning to analyze MRI data from hundreds of healthy volunteers. Researchers said the findings may help explain why neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently vary according to sex. “Our…

A Marquette University team is leading a new project that will combine balance and cardio training with the goal of improving the walking abilities of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Led by Marquette biomedical engineering professor Brian Schmit, PhD, the project — which is supported by a $3.34 million…

An abnormally active metabolism in immune B-cells can trigger the release of pro-inflammatory signaling molecules that drive further inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. Selectively blocking certain metabolic processes with a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor normalized B-cell metabolism and shifted their signaling to an anti-inflammatory state.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who start treatment with a mild-to-moderate efficacy disease-modifying therapy (DMT) were more likely to switch to another DMT, an analysis of the German MS Registry finds. Starting a DMT between 2014 and 2017 was also a predictor of switching. Disease activity despite treatment…

Alternative splicing, a biological process that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins, is extensively disrupted in immune cells isolated from untreated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and long-term treatment with interferon beta-based therapies largely corrects the defects, a study found. “Alternative splicing is a potential biomarker warning…

A small molecule called ESI1 stimulated the repair of the myelin sheath, the fatty coating on nerve fibers that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. In an MS mouse model, this resulted in improved motor function and nerve cell communication, as well as reduced signs…

Alexander Gow, PhD, a professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, has been awarded a grant to study how stressed oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce myelin in the brain and spinal cord, could be at the origin of multiple sclerosis (MS). The three-year, $644,827 grant from…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has awarded Inflectis BioScience a grant valued at $649,601 to advance the preclinical development of IFB-048, the company’s experimental treatment to promote myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS). “This grant along with the support from the Society are a testimony…

Charles River Laboratories has joined up with FibroBiologics to manufacture the company’s spheroids for clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS) and several other conditions. The spheroids are groups of fibroblast cells arranged in a three-dimensional (3D) structure that more closely resemble how cells organize in living tissues.