research

Australian researchers from the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) have received funding for two projects that will study unexplored areas in multiple sclerosis (MS). The projects, investigating the role of epigenetic differences in MS severity and treatment against MS-derived fatigue, received $211,000 AUD (about $151,300…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about multiple sclerosis? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “Can there be a connection between Epstein-Barr virus…

Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, a leading neurology researcher at the Gladstone Institutes at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), won the 2018 Barancik Prize for Innovation in Multiple Sclerosis Research. Akassoglou will receive the award and deliver the Prize lecture at the Americas Committee for Treatment…

As debate continues about the effects of medical marijuana on multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases, cannabis company GB Sciences and Louisiana State University (LSU) have agreed on a cannabinoid research and development project. This collaboration between a public and a private enterprise is a first in the therapeutic cannabis…

Hoping to expedite multiple sclerosis (MS) research and boost patient participation, the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis is teaming with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. As part of the collaboration, the MS Society will make use of ACP’s iConquerMS, a research initiative to increase the engagement…

To increase the exchange of research information and goings-on with the patient community, the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has teamed with RealTalk MS, a weekly podcast for those affected by the disease. Specifically, ACP will share ongoing results of its research initiative, iConquerMS. In…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has pledged $12 million to support 40 new, multi-year research projects focused on “stopping MS, restoring lost function, and ending the disease forever,” the organization announced in a press release. This commitment — the last allocation set aside for research in 2018 —…

When the following headline in the Australian newspaper the Herald Sun caught my eye recently, I was cautiously intrigued: “Doctors believe they have discovered the cause of multiple sclerosis” My cynical heart didn’t go pitter-patter as…

Statistics show that men are three times less likely than women to develop multiple sclerosis. Research has shown that men also develop MS at a later age than women and that their disease is more progressive. Could this all be related to “low T,” or low testosterone? Researchers…

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is partnering with Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and its newly opened Autoimmunity Institute — based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — to study the costs of autoimmune disease to patients in the U.S., including that of just getting a correct diagnosis. AARDA, a non-profit that…

A North Carolina couple living with multiple sclerosis have raised more than $20,000 so far this year to support Discovery MS, a nonprofit research initiative that is part of Duke University’s School of Medicine. Specifically, the money will support program efforts  to improve MS diagnosis and prognosis, gain a clearer understanding…

I’m a great starter. How about you? I start projects but often lack the time or motivation to finish them. Hence, I have bins full of yarn waiting to be turned into scarves and lots of seeds that were meant to be planted in the past growing seasons. It’s…

Medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for pain relief and should be integrated into current clinical practice, according to a new evidence overview. Benefits also include reduced spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients. The overview, titled “Special Issue: Cannabis in Medicine,” was published in the…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society gave its Impact Award to Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, for her research and patient care in multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the society, the award is intended for “a business or individual whose leadership helps ensure those with MS live their best lives.” Weinstock-Guttman…

Registrations are now open for the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), set for May 30-June 2 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The CMSC Annual Meeting is the nation’s largest educational conference and professional development event for healthcare practitioners, researchers and…

Multiple Sclerosis News Today brought you daily coverage of important discoveries, treatment developments, clinical trials, and other events dealing with multiple sclerosis throughout 2017. We look forward to providing more news to MS patients, family members, and caregivers during 2018. As a reminder of what mattered most to you in…

This year, I wrote several articles about gut health because, in addition to MS, that’s what I’m currently battling. Writing is cathartic, so when an issue hits close to home, pouring words onto paper … er, a laptop, is a godsend. It’s like having a…

Christmas is just around the corner, and that’s why many people are on the fruitless quest for Fingerlings or hocking an organ to buy the new iPhone. Both might be the “hot” presents of the season, but neither of them holds a candle to the great gifts we…

Myelin-producing Brain Cells Regenerated Using Stem Cells in Early Study We know that when the myelin coating of our nerve axons is destroyed, MS symptoms result. So a process that halts or reverses that destruction is the goal of a lot of MS research. This is a…

Research teams from Canada, Portugal and the United States, each with projects focused on predicting and defining characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) , will share this year’s 1 million euro ($1,165,700) Grant for Multiple Sclerosis Innovation (GMSI), announced by Merck at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting in Paris, France,…

There are two doctors. Here’s your choice: One has a patient-centered approach to care, spends more time with you during appointments, and is more empathetic with your concerns. On average, patients under this doctor live longer. The other doctor spends less time in the appointment, struggles to listen…

I have every single malady associated with MS. I’m absolutely positive. Because whenever I find out about a new one, or a new study that says we don’t sleep well, or we twitch or tremble, or suffer from this deficiency or that, I’ve got it.

The 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting, the world’s largest annual international conference devoted to basic and clinical research in multiple sclerosis, will run from Oct. 25 to 28 in Paris — the city of Jean-Martin Charcot, the “Father of Neurology,” who provided the first detailed description of multiple sclerosis (MS)…

Fast Forward, a non-profit subsidiary of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, will give financial support to TG Therapeutics to advance TGR-1202 (umbralisib) into preclinical testing as a potential oral therapy for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. The support, whose value was not specified, is part of a Sponsored Research Agreement between Fast Forward and the company. Research work will be led by Lawrence Steinman, MD, a professor of pediatrics, neurology, and neurological sciences at Stanford University. TGR-1202 is an orally administrated inhibitor that blocks a signaling enzyme called PI3K delta. Immune cells such as B-cells have high levels of this enzyme, which is thought to be important for cell proliferation and survival. "We look forward to evaluating umbralisib [TGR-1202]'s effect on our preclinical progressive MS models in hopes to move umbralisib closer to clinical development in MS," Steinman said. The approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), by Genentech, to treat primary progressive and relapsing multiple sclerosis underscored the potential of B-cell-targeted therapies for MS patients. As a result, investigative drugs that also aim to bolster B-cell survival or activity, such as those being developed by TG Therapeutics, are an attractive approach to potentially treating patients. Another potential treatment by the company — an engineered antibody, TG-1101 — targets a specific sequence on the CD20 protein found on immune B-cells. This infusion therapy is now in two Phase 3 clinical studies for relapsing multiple sclerosis, ULTIMATE I and ULTIMATE II. Both are currently enrolling patients at sites in Kentucky, Tennessee, and New York.

Do you ever stop and ponder the value of MS drugs? I’m not talking about if they work and the ways they improve our lives. I’m thinking of the COST of them and what their pricing means to investors. I get several market analysis reports on the pharmaceutical industry,…

Canadian oilman Hank Swartout made a fortune as longtime founder and CEO of Precision Drilling. The Calgary native mortgaged his house to start the company, which by the time he left in 2009 had annual sales of $7 billion. But an early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has released three new resources for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), available for free as both printed and online versions on MSAA’s website. According to a press release, the three new resources are: A cover story in the latest edition of MSAA’s…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $1 million grant to IQuity, a Nashville-based company looking into novel RNA targets that ultimately benefit patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders. The NIH grant is part of the institute’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

The MS Minority Research Engagement Partnership Network is calling for all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, ages 21 and older, to respond to a 15-minute online survey. Investigators are hoping to better understand how people with MS from different ethnic backgrounds and races view medical research, so as to engage them in…

In case you missed them, here are some news stories that appeared in MS News Today that caught my eye over the past week. MSAA’s Dr. Jack Burks Responds to Readers’ Questions About Ocrevus and Its Use All over the internet MS patients are asking questions about…