Experiencing certain stressors during childhood may predict the future presence and severity of fatigue, pain, and psychiatric conditions associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new U.S. study. Childhood physical and emotional stressors were each significantly linked to a higher likelihood of MS patients experiencing each of the…
research
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. This week, the stories cover research presented at the joint meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and the…
In a surprise discovery, researchers found that deleting a protein called integrin alpha-3 blocked harmful immune cells from accessing the brain — and prevented the onset of symptoms — in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, the researchers say that targeting this protein might be one way…
Brain atrophy (shrinkage) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) begins on average more than five years before disease symptoms appear, according to a new study based on machine learning models. “Although the onset of progressive brain tissue loss measured by MRI is not synonymous with the true biological…
Six months of treatment with foralumab, administered into the nose, led to decreases in microglial activity in five of six people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) involved in an expanded access program. Microglia are resident immune cells in the brain believed to play a role in driving…
New research by scientists in Austria may shed light on the link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), and explain why only some people infected with EBV — previously found to raise the risk of MS by 32 times — go on to develop the neurodegenerative disorder. Distinct…
Treatment with the investigational therapy fenebrutinib significantly reduced the number of new inflammatory lesions visible on MRI scans in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Pharmacological data from the study suggest the anti-inflammatory experimental medication can get into the brain and spinal cord at levels high…
Five of six people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) treated with an experimental oral therapy called OCH saw no disease activity over six months in a small clinical trial. That’s compared with 0% of the SPMS patients given a placebo, according to new data presented by Tomoko Okamoto,…
Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may prime the immune system to accidentally attack a brain protein called ANO2, new research shows. The findings may explain how EBV infection can lead to developing multiple sclerosis (MS), at least in some patients. Daniel Jons, PhD, a scientist at the…
Socioeconomic factors, specifically income and education levels, and marital status, were identified as risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS) severity in a new study in Sweden. In fact, the study found that earning a higher income and having more years of education before being diagnosed with MS are associated with…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who switch between more than two disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have a higher risk of relapses compared with those who never switch, regardless of how well these patients adhere to their prescribed medications, according to real-world study in Canada. These findings are consistent with…
Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are nearly twice as common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the five years preceding disease onset than they are in the general public, a study reports. These findings add to growing evidence that people with MS often go through a…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United Kingdom are less likely to be on disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) compared with MS patients in other countries in Europe, a new study reports. “We know that getting early treatment with disease-modifying MS therapies can improve long term health and wellbeing.
The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis and the Arab Board for Clinical Research have partnered with the Association of Diversity in Clinical Trials (AOD) to drive diversity and inclusion in clinical trials, including in those of multiple sclerosis (MS). The intent of the collaboration is to build…
Heligenics has discovered a number of variations in the interferon beta 1 (IFNB1) gene that may markedly improve the effectiveness of medications containing the interferon beta protein — a protein widely used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The discovery was made using the biotechnology company’s…
The expression of a viral protein known as W-Env leads to the inflammatory activation of brain cells and impairs myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. “Our study shows that the presence of W-Env in the brains of MS patients appears to generate a…
Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), most of the disability worsening they experience is not associated with any relapse activity, according to an analysis of real-world data. “We present real-world data from our multiple sclerosis center underlining that in a typical population of relapsing MS…
Nearly three-quarters of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) showed no signs of disease activity five years after receiving a stem cell transplant, according to a recent Swedish study. Moreover, about half of patients with at least minimal disability saw improvements after the transplant and about one-third remained stable.
Tiziana Life Sciences has started to recruit clinical sites for a Phase 2a clinical trial that will investigate its foralumab nasal spray in people with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The announcement follows a meeting with the principal investigators of the trial at Brigham and Women’s…
The rate of brain atrophy, or volume loss, may help in determining whether disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are slowing disability progression in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a review of data from 12 published studies found. The analysis, “Brain Atrophy as an Outcome of Disease-Modifying Therapy for…
For older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have highly active disease, most neurologists recommend starting treatment with a high-efficacy therapy, according to a survey study. Neurologists also generally agreed that patients with MS should continue on treatment into the latter decades of life, and that older MS patients…
Certain COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to worsen the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and may provide protection for at least six months after a booster dose, according to a study in Spain. The study specifically examined mRNA vaccines, or those that use a piece of RNA to teach…
Researchers have identified nearly two dozen genes that help to control the movement of immune cells into the brain and spinal cord during multiple sclerosis (MS). Findings may form the basis for the further development of MS treatments that aim to reduce disease activity by blocking the infiltration…
Using disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) doesn’t reduce fatigue levels in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Norway suggests. Anxiety and depression were both associated with fatigue, suggesting “there are other underlying causes of fatigue than focal inflammation, on which DMTs have an effect,” the study’s researchers wrote…
Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly lower relapse rates after entering menopause, but disability levels increase significantly in that period, according to a pooled analysis of studies. The findings are consistent with a decrease in immune activity with age and loss of estrogen, leading to fewer disease-related relapses,…
Two non-pharmacological rehabilitation approaches — one using a computer program designed to improve working memory and the other involving standardized cognitive-behavioral group sessions — both improved the cognitive function of people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reported. While varying medications often are used as…
Anokion has finished enrolling patients in the second part of its Phase 1 clinical trial investigating ANK-700 for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Safety data so far from the MoveS-it trial (NCT04602390) has shown the treatment is safe and well tolerated and biomarker analyses suggest it can induce…
Imcyse has completed patient enrollment and initial dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating IMCY-0141, its next-generation immunotherapy, in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The study, the first portion of a Phase 1/2 trial called IMCY-MS-001 (NCT05417269), is an open-label trial evaluating three doses of IMCY-0141…
Nearly 1 in 5 people on Medicare — a U.S. federal insurance program for people ages 65 and older — travel at least 50 miles (about 80 km) each way to see a neurologist, according to a recent report. However, long distance travel was even more common for people living…
Researchers at the Kessler Foundation have received $725,499 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to study how to improve learning and memory in multiple sclerosis (MS). The team will use the funding to evaluate the benefits of a cognitive intervention called COMBINE, which involves cognitive training and…