See below for the complete schedule for this year’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Multiple Sclerosis conference in Boston, and stay tuned to Multiple Sclerosis News throughout the week for continuing coverage on breaking science and research news for MS. For the past few weeks, Multiple Sclerosis News Today has been following the lead-up…
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Biogen Idec, one of the first true biotech companies specializing in products indicated for neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions, and autoimmune disorders, is preparing to present over 90 poster presentations during this week’s 6th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting. The event is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, September 10th through Saturday the…
While multiple sclerosis is most typically associated with progressively declining physical ability, multiple sclerosis patients are often times affected by a number of physical and mental health comorbidities in addition to their worsening physical ability. This observation was highlighted by a group of researchers in Scotland led by Drs.
Those attending this week’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS convention set to take place on the 10th of September until the 13th in Boston, can expect Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to present promising findings on Gilenya (fingolimod) — the company’s leading oral formulation for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previously completed studies and clinical trials,…
A new study, entitled, “Intestinal barrier dysfunction develops at the onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and can be induced by adoptive transfer of auto-reactive T cells” conducted at University of Lund, Sweden, published on PlosOne by the research group of Dr. Shahram Lavasani in collaboration with…
A novel therapeutic from GeNeuro to treat multiple sclerosis showed promising results in a one-year, open-label extension phase 2a clinical trial. GeNeuro tested its first-in-class GNbAC1 monoclonal antibody in ten multiple sclerosis patients, nine of whom have primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. “We are very excited by the…
A dynamic research team composed of doctors and scientists recently completed and published a study that sought to gain a better understanding of walking impairment, as it is manifested in patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease wherein the impulse-conducting myelin sheath is attacked by the body’s own…
Researchers from the University of Bristol have found a way of convert the function of cells into protecting the body instead of destroying healthy tissue, in what could be an important breakthrough for the treatment of debilitating autoimmune diseases in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body, like…
Novartis has announced that it will present new analyses and redefined treatment goals for multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 2014 Joint Americas and European Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Meeting (ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS), which is taking place in Boston, between September 10 and 13. Novartis claims to have…
In-vitro laboratory experiments using stem cells have long-since been the subject of debate between scientists and naturalists, but when it comes to developing effective methods to grow human cells and tissue for use in a potentially life-saving procedure or restoration of bodily function, researchers are increasingly more confident that…
Yoga improves the quality of life of patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis, as recently concluded during a study of its benefits in increasing mental health, concentration, bladder control, walking, balance, motor coordination and vision, as well as in decreasing pain and fatigue. Researchers from Rutgers’ School of Health Related Professions…
As researchers continue to develop a clearer understanding of the underlying causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is becoming increasingly apparent that the future of treating the disease is likely to center on neural protection and a reversal of the demyelination process that strips away the critical insulation…
A diet high in salt can worsen multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, as well as increase the risks of neurological deterioration, according to an observational study led by Mauricio Farez, from the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina and recently published at the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, entitled, “Sodium intake is associated with…
Recent research continues to suggest that MS is on the rise is countries that in the past posted small diagnoses of the disease. The latest study reveals that Multiple Sclerosis affects more second-generation Kuwaiti migrants than previously thought, according to an article published in BME Neurology. The findings…
New research published online ahead of print in the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) journal Radiology on August 26, reports that a gaming accessory known as a balance board for the Nintendo Wii console may assist people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in reducing the risk of falling accidentally. Balance…
According to new research published in European Journal of Neurology, susceptibility to multiple sclerosis may be predicted by looking at individuals’ protein profiles, otherwise known as proteomes. A team led by principal investigator Dr. S. Jacobson at the National Institutes of Health and Dr. M. T.
Fingolimod is a disease modifying therapy (DMT) used to treat relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients as well as patients who continue to present with relapses despite treatment with beta interferon drugs, and is the first oral medication to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug…
New Zealand and Australian-based biotechnology company Innate Immunotherapeutics recently announced that it has begun to recruit patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) for its phase 2B trial of its experimental therapy MIS416. The study, which will be administered by the Western Australian…
While the majority of scientists dedicated to multiple sclerosis research focus on genetic regulators of conditions such as autoimmunity, demyelination, inflammation, and neurodegeneration, a team from the University of Lubeck in Germany, led by Saleh M. Ibrahim, MD, PhD, focuses on genetic regulators of conduction velocity. The team is uncovering…
Just yesterday, the President of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS), Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, publicly announced the details of this year’s MSBoston2014 conference, in collaboration with the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). According to Dhib-Jalbut — who is also the…
Regulus Therapeutics, Inc., a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research and development of experimental drugs that target microRNAs, recently announced that it has signed a contract to work together with Biogen Idec. Under Regulus’ microMarkers™ project, the two companies will be collaborating on research efforts to…
Researchers have recently discovered that the fatigue that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience is not the same kind of fatigue that healthy people feel from time to time, nor is it caused by the same factors. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society reports that around 80% of people who suffer from…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are prescribed Tysabri have an increased risk to develop the rare, often fatal infection of the brain called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), according to a recent study. PML is caused by a common virus that infects blood cells and can be mobilized by popular RRMS drug Natalizumab,…
The common symptom of fatigue experienced by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients may be caused by regional damage in the brain, according to research conducted at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Italy and published in the journal Radiology. Scientists analyzed atrophies and lesions in the white matter and grey matter of 65…
According to a study published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, HIV infection is correlated to a significantly lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers analyzed a previous report by a team of Danish researchers whereby an HIV positive man with MS had his symptoms…
Findings of a number of scientific research articles, reviewed in a recent article from researchers at University of Bari and National Cancer Institute in Italy, describe a common response to injury in multiple sclerosis patients and animal models of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). The response, known as…
Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel drug candidates targeting specific pathogens that cause serious infections and diseases, announced that its latest data on Trimesta™, regarding cognitive and disability measures in women suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), will be presented at the 2014 Joint Americas and European Committees…
Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute have made encouraging advances in the development of a viable cell replacement therapy for multiple sclerosis using a patient’s own cells, known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Since multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating disease of unknown…
In spite of an eight week delay, New Zealand-based Innate Immunotherapeutics is still planning to enroll patients for its phase 2b clinical trial that will study the experimental drug MIS416 for secondary progressive MS. The clinical research organization (CRO) involved in the management of the trial informed the company about the…
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are no substitutes for the regular treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), however, they are becoming more common among patients as a way of alleviating the symptoms of the disease. Massage therapy is an example of that. 36-year-old Jessica Rich is a patient who embraced…