research

The transcription factor family AP-1 is crucial for the proper activation of immune T-cells, a new study shows, and this finding may have important implications for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. The study, titled “AP-1 activity induced by co-stimulation is required for chromatin opening during…

Depleting microbes in the gut of mice led to an altered fear response, changes in gene expression in brain immune cells and changes in brain chemistry — returning to a more normal state after their gut microbes were restored, but only if done early in life, a study…

Higher intellectual ability and physical activity during childhood and adolescence may help protect against the development of cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study suggests. These findings, though preliminary, suggest that intellectual enrichment and early-life physical activity may reduce the likelihood of developing cognitive deficits…

SARM1 inhibitors are a potential oral treatment to slow disease progression in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to preclinical results that show the inhibitors protect nerve cells from damage in mice and cell cultures. Researchers at Disarm Therapeutics presented the findings in a poster titled “…

The levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and chitinase3-like1 (CHI3L1) in the cerebrospinal fluid — the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — serve as respective biomarkers of disease activity and progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. Measuring levels of both proteins also helps to…

Some 4,000 science experts from 126 countries will gather at the 24th World Congress of Neurology (WCN 2019) to discuss cutting-edge research, including advances in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Hosted by the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) and the Emirates Neurology Society, the conference will run Oct. 27–31, in Dubai,…

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) — a molecule with potent blood vessel-narrowing (vasoconstrictive) properties — may be used as a biomarker of severity for optic neuritis in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a small Italian study suggests. The molecule also may be a potential indicator of patients’ failure to recover…

#ECTRIMS2019 – Are Injectables Inappropriate for Active Relapsing MS Treatment? Injectable disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have been around for a long time. I took part in a Phase 3 clinical trial for Avonex (interferon beta-1a) in the mid-1990s. These treatments were the only game in town back then, and…

A genetic variant in the galanin gene (GAL) appears to be a risk factor for more severe multiple sclerosis (MS), nearly doubling the risk of rapidly progressive disease, particularly in patients whose disease onset occurs…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) awarded $14.6 million in grants supporting 43 new and multiyear research projects into multiple sclerosis (MS), part of a projected $36 million investment in disease research for 2019, the society announced on its website. Funded projects include research into new ways of halting progressive MS, the…

The levels of the inflammatory molecule interleukin-22 (IL-22) may be used as a potential biomarker to evaluate disease severity and the effectiveness of treatments in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study shows. The study, “Impact of interferon β-1b, interferon β-1a and fingolimod therapies on serum…

Early treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) of patients with aggressive pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis is highly effective at achieving disease activity-free status and preventing cognitive decline, a new study shows. The study, “No evidence of disease activity including cognition (NEDA-3 plus) in naïve pediatric multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab,”…

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded more than $339,000 to Clene Nanomedicine to support clinical tests into its lead candidate CNM-Au8 in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) by protecting nerve cells and restoring myelin. The grant was awarded under the National MS Society’s Fast Forward program, which aims…

Ofatumumab, an investigational B-cell therapy being developed by Novartis, demonstrated encouraging results in lowering relapse rates and active brain lesions in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) enrolled in the ASCLEPIOS trials. For Stephen L. Hauser, MD, an investigator in the ASCLEPIOS trials, these results represent a…

Occasional, or rotating, night shift work, even if done over a decade, does not seem to be directly linked to a higher risk of multiple sclerosis. But working nights for more than 20 years — and likely beginning such shifts early in a career — carries an almost three…

Metformin, a common diabetes treatment that works to mimic dietary fasting, was seen to promote remyelination in the stem cells of elderly rats, suggesting it may be useful in treating multiple sclerosis. “Metformin Restores CNS Remyelination Capacity by Rejuvenating Aged Stem Cells” was published in…

Through its Stop MS Appeal campaign, the United Kingdom’s MS Society seeks to raise £100 million (almost $125 million) within the next decade to advance research and treatments that will stop multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Over the next three months, the organization will run an extensive advertising campaign…

Blocking production of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) — involved in inflammatory and immune responses — specifically in myelin repair cells halts neuroinflammation and promotes myelin repair, a preclinical study shows. These results, from two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), shed light on the underlying mechanisms…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has awarded a grant to Kessler Foundation researchers, supporting a pilot study into how well different low-risk exercise regimens ease multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and improve patients’ well-being. The grant recipients are John DeLuca, PhD, senior vice president for…

Targeting the chemokine receptor CXCR6, a protein at the surface of a certain group of T helper cells, prevented the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease, a study reports. Its findings suggest that antibodies targeting T helper cells — known drivers of MS —…

Scientists observed for the first time the molecular structure of the P2X 7 receptor, a protein that plays a key role in cell death, inflammation, and cancer progression. This breakthrough could lead to new ways of treating multiple sclerosis (MS), coronary artery disease, cancer, and inflammation. The findings…

Testing cognitive abilities — like learning and memory, processing speed, and verbal fluency — can give valuable clues as to how well people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are able to go about their daily lives, according to a review study led by Kessler Foundation researchers. Neuropsychological tests are of “significant predictive…

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a three-part report examining the question, “Is rituximab a reasonable alternative treatment for MS?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth look…

Editor’s note: This is the second story in a three-part report examining the question, “Is rituximab a reasonable alternative treatment for MS?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth look…

Careful profiling of inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of multiple sclerosis patients, coupled with standard exams and scans, helps in understanding disease evolution and treatment response, a case report suggests. It followed a relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patient whose inflammatory markers in the CSF remained high over time, and…

A protein known as nuclear factor I-A (NFIA) is key for spinal cord repair and timely remyelination by astrocytes — the most abundant cells in the brain and first responders to sites of injury, findings in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) suggest. In brain lesions, NFIA is…

FeetMe, a medical device company dedicated to the development of devices and digital health services to improve patients’ mobility, has raised €9.4 million ($10.25 million) in Series A funding to boost the commercialization of its innovative technology for clinical trials and regular clinical practice in hospitals and…

A new large-scale genetic map implicates broad immune system dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests a key role of brain immune cells called microglia, and indicates an MS-related gene variant located in the X chromosome. Altogether, the findings — the result of the largest reported study…

A specific type of immune cell in a particular activation state is linked to such immune diseases as multiple sclerosis (MS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a collaborative research study found. Disease-associated genetic variants — changes in DNA sequences or mutations in genes — can affect the response of immune…

ExeGi Pharma announced a new clinical trial testing its probiotic Visbiome in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study will further evaluate whether changing bacteria in the gut could be therapeutically beneficial in MS. The human body hosts millions upon millions of bacterial guests, the majority of which…