research

Testing for the types of fat (lipid) molecules present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be a very useful way to diagnose and monitor the disease, a study suggests. “MS patients present a different lipid profile at the time of diagnosis” than…

MMJ International Holdings, a pharmaceutical company whose focus is plant-derived cannabis products for therapeutic purposes, has requested permission to ship tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) from Canada to the U.S. to be used in upcoming clinical trials for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease. MMJ-001…

Opioid addiction increases the risk for a number of physical and psychological problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study has found. The study, “Impact of opium dependency on clinical and neuropsychological indices of multiple sclerosis patients,” was published in the journal Neurological Sciences. Opioids,…

Smartphones could be used as an inexpensive and effective way to measure  tremors in mice, which may allow for more research on tremor medications, a new study reports. The study, “Accurate and affordable assessment of physiological and pathological tremor in rodents with the accelerometer of a smartphone,”…

A draft guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), a U.K. advisory board, and a review by England’s National Health Service (NHS) call for more research into medical cannabis for multiple sclerosis and other conditions. NICE also recommended against prescribing Sativex as a treatment for…

Though known mainly for killing tumor and virally infected cells, a T-cell subtype may restrain immune responses and be protective in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research. The study, “Opposing T cell responses in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis,” was published recently in…

People listening to music during an extended walk tend to sync their steps to its beat — and for those with multiple sclerosis (MS), such synchronization helps to overcome mental fatigue and improve motivation, a study found. “Continuous 12 min walking to music, metronomes and in silence:…

An amino acid change to phenylalanine, and a specific class I HLA gene variant are associated with greater risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in Japanese patients. Researchers also identified an HLA variant, or mutation, associated with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), an autoimmune condition…

A Phase 1 clinical trial found T20K, Cyxone’s investigational plant protein-derived treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), to be safe and well-tolerated in healthy men, and raising the possibility that it might work at low doses, the company announced. A next step is to develop an oral formulation for the…

An ongoing experiment at the International Space Station may help identify triggers for multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease by studying how nerve cells and immune cells interact when exposed to microgravity. Using patient-derived cells, researchers will study the way nerve cells grow, survive, and change their gene…

3D Imaging of Brain Lesions May Spot Those Most Likely to Heal, Guiding Treatment These scientists are working to create a new diagnostic tool that would allow doctors to use an MRI to look at brain lesions in 3D. This would allow them to see the shape and surface…

Valeritas Holdings‘ proprietary h-Patch device can be used to administer cannabidiol by an under-the-skin (subcutaneous) infusion, prolonging the time the medication remains in circulation in the body and maximizing its therapeutic effects, a preclinical study has found. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabis-derived, purified liquid formulation that has…

Vaccines are not a risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), a large data analysis spanning more than 12,250 MS patients in Germany shows. Fewer vaccinations were given to people who — five years later — would be diagnosed with MS, compared to those who would be diagnosed with…

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's Tissue Bank at Imperial College London, the largest brain and tissue bank in Europe, will receive £1.5 million (about $1.82 million) from the U.K. MS Society. This fund will support the development of a digital brain bank powered by a virtual reality platform, which will provide new tools for researchers around the world with the ultimate goal of stopping multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. These new technologies will be used to create high-definition pictures of brain tissue donated by people with MS after their death. “When the tissue bank first opened in 1998 there were practically no treatments for those affected. Things are very different now and it’s a privilege to work with an organization like the MS Society, which does everything it can to ensure the work of the scientific community reflects the needs of people living with MS," Richard Nicholas, PhD, scientific director of the tissue bank, said in a press release. “This investment will ensure all researchers have access to high quality brain and spinal cord tissue from people with MS, and marks an important development in the U.K. research landscape. We’re excited to see where it takes us,” Nicholas added. The new-era tissue bank will grant researchers access to tissue images that can be studied extensively and indefinitely, and also will offer the opportunity to explore the brain’s structures in a 3-D interactive section. Together with Parkinson's UK, these two leading neurological charities will contribute a total of £3 million (about $3.6 million) over a period of five years. "The MS Society Tissue Bank has been vital in improving our understanding of MS and finding treatments for some people with the condition. But our top priority now is finding treatments to slow or stop MS for everyone,” said Sorrel Bickley, PhD, head of biomedical research at MS Society. This new virtual database gives researchers the opportunity to develop innovative projects in which they can combine virtual tissue data with genetic analysis in an easy and more efficient way, and help define how genetic landscape can affect MS and Parkinson’s progression. “We can see a future where nobody needs to worry about MS getting worse, but for that to happen we urgently need to find treatments that repair myelin — the protective layer that surrounds our nerves, which is damaged in MS, and protect the nerves from damage. This funding will allow researchers to operate as effectively as possible, and ultimately help us stop MS faster,” Bickley said.

The development of new medicines to treat myelin-related neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), has been given a boost by a €2.9 million (about $3.2 million) research grant awarded to the Belgian biotech company Rewind Therapeutics by…

No excessive relapse risk appears to exist for people with multiple sclerosis who undergo surgery that requires anesthesia, researchers report, challenging long-held assumptions associated with MS and surgery. Their single-site study, “Multiple sclerosis relapse risk in the postoperative period: Effects of…

A new diagnostic method for multiple sclerosis (MS) that uses 3D analysis of a patient’s brain may be able to tell physicians which lesions there are more likely to heal with time and which are not, and as such could be a game-changer in treating the disease, according to the…

Routine screening through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict long-term disease progression — leading to more certainty and informing better treatment choices, a 15-year study reported. The study, titled “Early imaging predictors of long-term…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $1.83 million grant to a Kessler Foundation researcher leading a clinical trial to test if a month-long cognitive training program can improve learning and memory in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of the Centers…

The nerve cell circuit, stretching from the skin to the spinal cord, that is likely responsible for the persistent itching sensation  that can afflict people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions was identified in a study.

Scientists identified and “fingerprinted” a group of T-helper cells that are unusually numerous in the blood and central nervous system of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and may be the reason behind the neuroinflammation seen in these patients. This T-cell population carries specific markers involved in the transmission…

The percentage of Taiwanese who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) after an episode of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is lower than that reported for other ethnicities, and those who do progress are likely to have a milder disease course, a study found, supporting how factors like geography and genetics…

An antiviral medication called amantadine and ondansetron, which treats chronic nausea, both work to reduce fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but amantadine may be more effective, a single-site trial in Iran reports. The study, “Comparison of the effects of amantadine and ondansetron in treatment…

Projection neurons, a specific type of nerve cell, are prone to damage in the brain of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and could be at the root of brain atrophy (shrinkage) and the cognitive changes seen in patients. Looking at individual cells in the brain, scientists found…

Gut microbes prime immune cells called microglia to protect the brain and nervous system from neurological damage due to viral infections, according to new research in mice. The findings suggest that maintaining a healthy and diverse microbiota — the population of bacteria, fungi, and viruses within the body, especially the…

Convelo Therapeutics has announced a collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to work toward the development of new remyelination therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other myelin disorders. “We are excited to be working with Genentech to…

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) contains elevated levels of specific fatty molecules that disrupt the energy “powerhouses” of nerve cells, and appear to underlie the neurodegeneration seen on brain scans of these patients, a study reveals. The research, which compared the CSF…

A new study demonstrates that intracellular sigma peptide (ISP) can promote remyelination in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Importantly, this study was independent of NervGen, a pharmaceutical company that is developing an ISP-like compound — NVG-291 — for the treatment of nerve injury and MS. The study,…

The National Stem Cell Foundation announced the start of a pioneering project to investigate the impact of microgravity on the neurodegeneration associated with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The project, a collaboration between the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, the Summit for Stem Cell, and investigators with Aspen Neuroscience, will send 3-D brain organoids derived from patients with these disorders, for a first time, to the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-18. This flight, set to launch on July 21 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, is a test run for a 30-day study of neurodegeneration in microgravity set to take place on the space station this fall. "The National Stem Cell Foundation is delighted to be funding innovative science at the frontier of new drug and cell therapy discovery. The leading-edge research findings that have developed through this collaboration between important research groups may fundamentally alter our understanding of how and why neurodegeneration occurs," Paula Grisanti, chief executive officer of the NSCF, said in a press release. These organoids, or 3-D cellular brain models, contain microglia — cells that normally support and protect neurons. Microglia are implicated in the brain inflammation and disease progression seen in people with Parkinson's, PPMS, and other neurodegenerative disorders. The project will allow scientists in the near absence of gravity to study how these cells interact with each other, migrate, send and receive chemical signals, change their genetic signature, and promote brain inflammation. As such, investigators may get a glimpse of all the biological mechanisms involved in PPMS and Parkinson's in ways not feasible on Earth. This work might lead to understandings and advancements with a direct impact on the development of medicines and cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. Space Tango is leading the transport and maintenance logistics, to ensure the cells arrive at the ISS in the best possible condition and remain viable during the 30 days they will remain in orbit. To that end, the company has developed a series of automated systems intended to surpass conventional lab techniques, and allow space station researchers to work with a higher number of samples than typical, and use high-throughput techniques to easily analyze them. According to the company, these automated systems are not intended exclusively for research on the ISS, but may also be used by research facilities worldwide to support and accelerate scientific innovation. "The vision the National Stem Cell Foundation brings to using new approaches to science and creating collaborations between leading experts in Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis from across the country is truly unique," said Jana Stoudemire, commercial innovation officer at Space Tango. "In addition to supporting the development of tissue chip platforms for microgravity, Space Tango is excited to expand capabilities for human 3-D brain organoid models that will assist in studying some of the most challenging diseases we have yet to truly understand," Stoudemire added. "We are very pleased to support this important research on the ISS."

Study Examines Gadolinium Deposits in MS Patients’ Brains, But Still Can’t Determine Relationship with Disease Severity Here’s some new information about gadodiamide, a contrast dye that is injected during some MRIs. The study confirms that gadolinium, the substance on which gadodiamide is based, builds up in the brain, but…