research

Long-term treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) doesn’t change the diversity of T-cells — those needed to mount effective immune responses against foreign pathogens — in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a small study shows. Consistent with its mechanism of B-cell depletion, however, Ocrevus did reduce the molecular…

To mark World MS Day, which takes place annually on May 30, the International Progressive MS Alliance is introducing a research program to help drive early innovations in care programs for those with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the program seeks to identify solutions to…

LAPIX Therapeutics has secured a new U.S. patent covering the use of its experimental oral therapy LPX-TI641 as a means to restore immune tolerance in people with autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with the number 11,648,225, the patent…

A non-invasive treatment called acute intermittent hypoxia, or AIH, involving periods of oxygen deprivation, was found to ease signs and symptoms of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. Given during the peak of disease activity, AIH treatment — basically, periods of reduced oxygen exposure…

An updated snapshot of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. — provided by new population estimates from a study of insurance data — shows a greater prevalence of MS among white and Black people compared with other racial and ethnic groups. But overall, the neurodegenerative disorder has become more…

When the immune system launches an attack to fight off infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, immune cells can accidentally end up targeting a protein called CRYAB that’s normally expressed by healthy myelin-making cells in the brain, a study found. The findings provide further evidence that molecular similarities between distinct…

Vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838), an investigational multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy with promising results in clinical trials, may exert neuroprotective effects by activating a protein called Nurr1, according to newly published preclinical data. The observed actions on Nurr1 are in addition to the therapy’s known role as an inhibitor of…

Genentech‘s investigational BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib significantly reduced the number of new brain lesions and showed no new safety concerns in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new data from the company’s Phase 2 FENopta clinical trial (NCT05119569), which is evaluating fenebrutinib’s…

A more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of relapses and more inflammatory brain lesions for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the years following their first disease attack, according to a recent study. However, dietary intake did not impact disability progression or the volume of lesions with…

Guest columnist Lori Lebson completed her PhD in neuroimmunology at the University of South Florida. After completing her doctorate, she continued her education as a National Multiple Sclerosis Society Neuroimmunology Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins. Lebson has more than 10 years of pharmaceutical experience and serves as the head of…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) reduces brain volume loss in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) to levels similar to those seen in healthy aging, a small study reports. “These findings are consistent with an important role of inflammation on overall tissue loss and the role of ocrelizumab in…

Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Surgical treatment of facial pain I’ve never heard of surgery being used as an MS treatment, but…

FSD Pharma has completed dosing in the first group of healthy volunteers enrolled in its Phase 1 clinical trial testing Lucid-21-302, an oral medication candidate for all types of multiple sclerosis (MS). The medication, also known as Lucid-MS, was first given to a sentinel subject — one…

Increased activation of microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain that contribute to chronic inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), is significantly associated with higher levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein, indicating more nerve damage, a study found. Researchers particularly identified strong links between…

The rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnoses have remained relatively constant for almost 20 years in the U.K., according to a population-based study involving more than 22 million people. Most MS diagnoses occurred during middle age, with women being more likely than men to receive a…

Modified nanocapsules containing retinoic acid can suppress inflammation and prompt the growth of cells that produce nerve fibers’ myelin coating, which is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS), a cell-based study shows. The results demonstrated how lipid (fat) nanocapsules that contain medicines can access the brain and treat the two…

Interleukin-3 (IL-3), an inflammatory signaling protein, seems to coordinate the recruitment of immune cells from the blood into the brain, leading to worsening inflammation and symptoms related to multiple sclerosis (MS), a study revealed. Targeting IL-3-mediated communication may be an effective therapeutic strategy for MS and other brain disorders,…

A protein called Mfsd2a, which transports molecules that contain omega-3 fatty acids, is essential for regulating cells that make the fatty coating on nerve fibers, or myelin sheath, that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. In mice lacking Mfsd2a, the cells that make myelin, or oligodendrocytes, fail…

Neurologist Robert Lisak, MD, has been named a 2023 Giant of Multiple Sclerosis for his work in understanding the mechanisms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and improving care for people with the condition. Lisak, MD, a professor of neurology and former chair of the Wayne State University Department of Neurology,…

Attaching a kind of molecule backpack to myeloid cells — a type of immune cells involved in the inflammatory attack that drives multiple sclerosis (MS) — may help to halt inflammation and damage in the brain in MS by modulating immune cell activity, a study…

A four-month home-based aerobic walking program was feasible and may help improve cognitive function for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to data from a recent pilot study funded by the Kessler Foundation. Findings from this small study support the design of a randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is collaborating with Novartis and the Chronic Health Improvement Research Program (CHIRP) at Dartmouth Health to establish a multicenter learning health network for providers to drive better outcomes for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Called the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network…

A newly developed laboratory model using tadpoles can help determine the remyelinating potential of new multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies via specific changes in behavior and vision tests, a new study suggests. The model may help accelerate the discovery of potential MS remyelinating therapies, and reduce the use of resources…

Blood levels of the nerve damage marker NfL seem to spike to very high levels around times of disease activity in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. The findings support using NfL as a biomarker of disease activity, in the form of relapses or lesions, in…

Tysabri (natalizumab) is generally safe and effectively lowers disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a real-world study of patients over a 13-year period in Denmark. “Most patients treated with [Tysabri] are clinically stable with few adverse events,” researchers wrote. In more recent years, doctors…

Jonathan Allenger, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) a decade ago, is planning to bike more than 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) across Canada to raise awareness and CA$1 million for MS research and patient support services. Proceeds from the journey — set to begin on May 7 and conclude by…

Clusters of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in the blood of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appear to contribute to the nerve cell death that marks the neurodegenerative disease, according to a recent study. IgG antibodies harvested from the blood of MS patients drove nerve cell death in cell cultures, whereas antibodies…

Rehabilitation therapy that utilizes virtual reality can help to improve balance and reduce the fear of falling for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new analysis shows. “Our findings provide support to the use of [virtual reality-based therapy] to recover balance in neurological diseases such as MS,” researchers wrote.

Use of the cell therapy MSC-NP failed to show a significant effect on overall disability scores among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Results, however, indicated that MSC-NP improved walking ability for people with more advanced disease —…

Damage to the myelin sheath, a hallmark feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), leads to increased levels of fatty molecules called VLCFAs, which are converted by brain cells into an inflammation-driving signaling molecule called S1P, a study suggests. The discovery of this novel molecular pathway may open up new avenues…