research

As Multiple Sclerosis News Today reported in mid-July, Endece Neural was issued an additional U.S. patent for its lead investigational product, NDC-1308. The drug is under development to repair the myelin sheath damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a major causing disease progression and increasing disability. The sheath, an…

As interesting as it can be for patients with MS who hear about work being done to find the causes of multiple sclerosis, what we really want to see is research that is carried out to find a cure. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, the development of new treatments…

Researchers working with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often faced with a problem: an average MRI brain scan produces a considerable amount of images (around 600 megabytes), but half carry distortions that make them unreadable. These “phase images,” as they are known, are usually discarded and their insights lost. Now, the work of researchers…

Obese children and young adults appear to be at a considerably higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the McGill University in Canada and collaborators at the University of Bristol in the U.K., who found a causal relationship between the two. Their study, “…

Coherus BioSciences recently reported that its candidate therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), CHS-131, reduced the development rate of new brain lesions by nearly 50% in previously untreated relapsing-remitting MS patients. The Phase 2b trial (NCT02638038), randomizing patients to receive either CHS-131 or placebo in a double-blind manner, also showed the…

Ready to fight MS? Well, you can start first thing every day. So, how do you start your day — a coffee maybe, or a great cup of tea? Tea is my choice but I also enjoy a magnificent cup of Spanish coffee. According to a number of recent studies, coffee and…

A therapeutic vaccine for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), called Xemys, is showing positive results in pre-clinical and clinical trials, and is soon to enter Phase 3 clinical testing. Xemys was developed by researchers at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and their colleagues. While traditional vaccines are…

The president of Colorado State University (CSU), Tony Frank, will be accepting the Norman Cohn Hope Award on behalf of his university, recognizing its work in advancing research into multiple sclerosis and helping people with the disease. The ceremony will take place at the Annual MS Society Dinner of Champions, set for Sept.

The complement system, a part of our non-adaptable (innate) immune defenses, is activated in lesions inside the brain’s gray matter and may well contribute to the relentless progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers report. The findings offer new insights into mechanisms driving the development of this disease — particularly its primary progressive forms.

Editor’s Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today welcomes Laura Kolaczkowski to our team of Patient Specialists and MS bloggers. As you will read in her introductory post below, Laura brings to her new column a wealth of Multiple Sclerosis related insights, both as a patient and activist/advocate for raising awareness and research…

Fingolimod (Gilenya), a drug approved for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to prevent neuroinflammation, may also help these patients by directly enhancing nerve regeneration and increasing myelination in a way that is partly independent of its anti-inflammatory properties. The study reporting this finding, “Fingolimod promotes peripheral nerve regeneration…

A retrospective study of vitamin D status and disability progression in multiple sclerosis patients — using real-life, clinical data from a large and varied group — found no  correlation between the two, although vitamin D levels may predict the occurrence of relapses in some patients. But these findings may have been limited by the lower doses of daily vitamin…

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher levels of a micro-RNA called miR-150 in their cerebrospinal fluid, a liquid surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord. The study, validating the finding in some 600 people, suggests that miR-150 might be a marker for MS, distinguishing the disease from other neurological conditions.

In my mind, MS is linked to glandular fever. From personal experience, there is no room for doubt of any kind. Trouble is, though, that my experience and belief is not proof. And that is why I find that efforts to establish a definite link between glandular fever, often known…

In the largest genetic study ever performed in a single country, scientists in Germany discovered four new risk genes for multiple sclerosis (MS). The genes, altered in MS patients, are involved in the control of how other genes are activated through mechanisms known as epigenetics. The discovery advances understanding of how…

An upcoming conference will explore new and emerging treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS), focusing on the intersection between laboratory findings and clinical care, and the search for discoveries that may lead to important innovations in treating this neurological disease. The daylong conference, open to academics, clinical researchers and industry leaders, is hosted by…

Discovery of an unexpected diversity of oligodendrocytes in mice could lead to new insights into mechanisms of degeneration and regeneration in multiple sclerosis and other diseases where myelin is lost. Oligodendrocytes, a type of brain cell that plays a crucial role in diseases such as MS, are more diverse than…

Welcome to our very first weekly news review. Starting today, it is the intention to use the Monday column of this blog to cast a look back at the previous week’s editorial content of this MS site. In particular, we’ll be looking at the wide range of topics covered and…

Flex Pharma, Inc., announced the start of a Phase 2 clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of FLX-787 in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who suffer from cramps, spasms, and/or spasticity as a result of the disease. The trial is being run in conjunction with Neuroscience Trials Australia. Flex Pharma’s FLX-787 is a single molecule,…

Adamas Pharmaceuticals recently reported positive results from its Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial evaluating ADS-5102 (amantadine HCl), an extended-release version of amantadine, in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with difficulties in walking. The trial (NCT02471222), a double-blind, placebo-controlled and two-arm parallel group study, evaluated ADS-5102 given once daily at 340 mg, at bedtime, for four…

Oligodendrocytes — brain cells that wrap themselves around neurons to produce myelin — are much more diverse than previously believed. Scientists in Sweden, using a new type of sequencing, have discovered more than a dozen different kinds, including an oligodendrocyte subtype involved in motor learning, a finding that might spur new research into protecting…

Novel molecular imaging compounds that detect neuroinflammation in the brain of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have been developed by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, and may help to uncover the triggers of such inflammation and to better evaluate new disease treatments. The study, “Development and…

An immunologist at Victoria University of Wellington is leading a clinical trial that will use existing drugs in a new way to try to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a disease form that affects more than one-third of all multiple sclerosis patients but has no effective treatment options. Anne La Flamme, a professor…

Regions of DNA called super-enhancers regulate immune cell activity, including the body’s response to threats like inflammation or pathogens, and now scientists have found that they also harbor genetic variants associated with autoimmune diseases — gene variants that may be the “master switches” for these conditions. The findings were described in the study “…

Researchers at the University of Buffalo’s Hunter James Kelly Research Institute (HJKRI) discovered that the cells that form myelin in the nervous system respond to mechanical stimulation by activating molecules from a specific pathway, which are transferred to the nucleus, triggering myelination. The findings, which may be key to developing new therapies…

Processed foods have been added to the list of “no-no” items that we are not supposed to eat if you, like me, are unfortunate enough to have MS. We were already warned against gluten, salt and various other ingredients in our diet; now it’s processed foods and additives. This is…

Stem cell treatment has been proven to both halt MS clinical relapses and the development of new brain lesions over a prolonged period, according to the results of a new study. The results, achieved in 23 out of 24 patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial, were published in…

GeNeuro, a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on novel treatments for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), announced that the first patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are under treatment with the company’s leading drug, GNbAC1, in a Phase 2b clinical trial. GNbAC1 is a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize MSRV-En, a protein…

Arrien Pharmaceuticals has initiated Phase 1 clinical trials of their first agent, ARN-6039, a molecule that targets a specific subset of immune cells called T helper 17 (Th17), for the potential treatment of patients with relapsing, remitting, and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). A growing body of evidence has suggested a…

Some forms of multiple sclerosis are hereditary after all. After many years of saying that MS is not passed down the generations, new research now says the opposite. Although past studies have suggested that genetic risk factors could increase the risk of developing the disease, up until now, there has been…