Metabolon and Cardiff University are partnering to discover new biomarkers that could help better understand disease mechanisms and develop new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). The project leverages Metabolon’s expertise in metabolomics, a field of research that measures all products of metabolism, called metabolites, that are made…
research
Treatment with rituximab, an approved CD20 inhibitor that’s sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), was found to adequately control the neurodegenerative disease in patients diagnosed during childhood or adolescence, a new study showed. The therapy, given by infusion into the bloodstream, was generally safe and significantly reduced…
Getting physical exercise can improve subjective well-being and health-related quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new meta-analysis shows. “Exercise interventions, especially aerobic or combined aerobic and resistance training, should be implemented in clinical practice to promote mental health” and health-related quality of life in people…
Researchers at Stanford University have partnered with Kyverna Therapeutics to conduct an investigator-initiated clinical trial of the company’s cell-based therapy, KYV-101, in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) without relapses. The open-label Phase 1 trial (NCT06138132) will take place at the Stanford Multiple Sclerosis…
Taking antibody-based medications for multiple sclerosis (MS) while breastfeeding does not appear to harm a child’s health or development during at least the first three years of life, according to a preliminary study of more than 180 babies. Children breastfed by mothers taking Tysabri (natalizumab), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab),…
Nearly half of all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who participated in clinical trials — including global, pivotal studies — had one or more comorbidities, or coexisting conditions, the most common being depression and high blood pressure, a meta-analysis study found. While the rate of patients with comorbidities “may be…
In multiple sclerosis (MS), lesions in the brain may start with small clusters of immune cells called microglia, a new study reveals. Scientists are working to understand exactly how these small clusters may develop into MS lesions, which they hope could uncover new targets for treating the disease.
A model based on genetic factors could help predict the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in people with optic neuritis, an eye disorder that can be an early sign of MS, according to new research. “As a doctor caring for many patients with optic neuritis, I’m excited by…
The presence of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, may help identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are more likely to have cognitive decline over time. That’s according to four-year data presented by Hannah Schwartz,…
The antihistamine clemastine accelerated disease progression by more than five times in some adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) who received it in a Phase 1/2 trial, new data show. Joanna Kocot, PhD, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), showed that this effect is at least…
Convelo Therapeutics is developing two experimental oral treatments to promote myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS) and both have shown promise in preclinical models. The company is in the final stages of safety studies in large animals. Once those studies are done, it plans to start studies that…
Treatment with Immunic Therapeutics‘ experimental oral therapy vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) lowered the levels of a nerve damage marker in people with all subtypes of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), including those without recent inflammatory activity. That’s according to an interim analysis of data from a Phase 2 study,…
About two-thirds of people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) remained completely free from relapses over six years of treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) in the DAYBREAK clinical trial. Most also saw no sustained disability progression during that period and the mean number of new or enlarging lesions…
Supplements of indole 3-lactate (ILA), a molecule made by gut bacteria, significantly reduced disease severity and promoted myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new findings presented by Larissa Jank, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University, at the Americas Committee for Treatment…
Two researchers from The University of Western Australia (UWA) have received grants from MS Australia for work that may help scientists better understand how an immune system gone awry can cause multiple sclerosis (MS). Belinda Kaskow, PhD, a teaching and research fellow at UWA’s School of Biomedical Sciences,…
An association between the proteins IgG1 and CXCL10 in the fluid around the brain may help predict the risk of future disease activity for people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to “CXCL10/IgG1 Axis in Multiple Sclerosis as a Potential Predictive Biomarker…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher amounts of mitochondrial DNA in their spinal fluid, which surrounds the brain and spinal cord, than do their healthy counterparts, a small study found. Mitochondria are small cellular organelles that produce most of the energy needed to power cells. These cell powerhouses…
Black people with multiple sclerosis (MS) scored lower on tests of walking and physical function than did white patients, regardless of social determinants of health such as education or income, a U.S. study reported. These findings add to a growing understanding of how MS manifests in Black people, and…
An imaging feature called the T1-dark rim, which is visible on standard MRI scans of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), could help to identify paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), a study suggests. PRLs are regions of chronic active inflammation that cause ongoing nerve damage. They’re associated with disease activity and…
Sweden has a consistently high incidence and prevalence of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (PoMS), according to a recently published study. Incidence measures the number of new cases identified during a certain period, while prevalence measures the proportion of people in the population with the condition. Data show the disease is…
About 4 in 5 people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who receive a stem cell transplant remain free of relapses for at least six years, and this may translate into being able to get back to work, a small study from Norway suggests. The study, “Autologous hematopoietic…
Coupling a noninvasive brain stimulation procedure with an intensive rehabilitation program significantly improved motor function and balance in adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a randomized clinical trial finds. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive treatment approach that delivers pulses of magnetic fields to modulate nerve…
Complement proteins, especially when activated in the brain and spinal cord, may contribute to nerve cell damage and more severe multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, a study that offers insights into a possible therapeutic target suggests. The study, “Complement Activation Is Associated With Disease Severity in Multiple Sclerosis,” was…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who start on high-efficacy therapies experience fewer relapses and reduced MRI disease activity in the following years, compared with those who are treated first with moderate-efficacy therapies, according to a new study. Rates of severe side effects are similar for both groups, but the…
More women with multiple sclerosis (MS) got pregnant in recent years, probably linked to a significantly higher use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) during pregnancy, according to a nationwide study in France. DMTs are a type of treatment that can alter MS course, by reducing the risk of relapses,…
Treatment options for progressive types of multiple sclerosis (MS) have expanded dramatically over the past decade, and several promising experimental therapies are in late stages of clinical development, a new review paper highlights. The study, “Clinical trials for progressive multiple sclerosis: progress, new lessons learned, and…
The presence in the brain of chronic inflammatory lesions — called paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with a greater relapse burden and faster disability progression in the long term, according to a new U.S. study. Among more than 150 patients who…
Bolstered by Phase 2 trial data showing that frexalimab safely reduces the number of brain lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), developer Sanofi has launched a pair of Phase 3 studies that will test the investigational therapy in relapsing and progressive MS. One of…
An intermittent fasting (IF) diet may lead to immune and metabolic alterations that ease multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and improve quality of life, a recent review of published studies suggests. While evidence from these few small clinical trials indicates an IF diet…
A small clinical trial in Texas is testing whether a noninvasive magnetic brain stimulation procedure can ease the symptoms of overactive bladder in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The randomized Phase 2 study (NCT06072703) is ongoing at Houston Methodist Hospital, and is recruiting about 29 women with stable…