research

Editor’s note: To learn more about the link between the Epstein-Barr virus and MS, read Ed’s May 2020 column titled “More Evidence Links Epstein-Barr Virus to MS.” For years researchers have believed a link exists between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis. But scientists have had…

A compound produced by immune cells is able to treat psoriasis – a skin disorder – in mice, and may be effective against other autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, according to a recent study. The study, “Electrophilic properties of itaconate and derivatives regulate the IκBζ–ATF3 inflammatory…

A diet rich in fish consumption and supplemented with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is linked to a reduction of 45 percent in the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, a study shows. The results confirming previous research will be shared April 26 at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of…

Infection with the common Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a new report from the  Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center says. Besides MS, the Epstein-Barr virus also raises the risk for six other disorders: systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, inflammatory…

Autologous non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplant was found to be significantly better at reducing risks for disability in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients compared to disease-modifying drug (DMD) therapies, interim results of the MIST clinical trial show. The results will be shared at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American…

Analysis of a potential blood biomarker linked to brain cell damage can help define disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Results of a study showed that determining blood levels of neurofilament light chain, or NfL, could help in establishing “no evidence of disease activity,” or NEDA, status…

Continuous treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or switching from Rebif (interferon beta-1a) to Ocrevus leads to a significant long-term reduction in relapsing multiple sclerosis activity, a two-year extension study shows. Ocrevus’s maker, Genentech, drew the results from an open-label extension of the Phase 3 OPERA trials. Researchers will present the findings at…

Research that points to a potential blood biomarker of multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, relates cognitive difficulties to patients’ employment and other measures of socioeconomic status, and one-year results of an ongoing clinical trial are among data presentations planned by Biogen for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This year’s…

Investigational therapy ibudilast leads to a significant reduction of brain atrophy, supporting its potential to effectively treat progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), new data from a Phase 2 clinical trial show. These results will be shared at the upcoming 2018 Annual Meeting of the American…

Levels of a protein stemming from brain cell damage can mirror the severity and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, an analysis of combined data from three trials showed. Researchers will present this and related findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Los Angeles, April 21-27. The…

Beginning treatment early with disease-modifying therapies is the most effective approach to prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) progression in patients, a large-scale study suggests. Data from the Danish study will be presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), taking place April 21-27…

Novartis‘ siponimod (BAF312) can reduce blood levels of a biomarker of nerve cell damage in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a Phase 3 clinical trial shows. Researchers will present the latest results of the ongoing trial at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Academy…

People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have more cognitive decline than those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a Greek study. The finding confirmed a long-held assumption that the more progressive form of the disease — SPMS — also involves more cognition problems. Some previous research has confirmed that…

A large group study showed that first-generation disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) do not increase the infection risk in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Many of the DMTs used to reduce the risk of relapse in MS target the immune system and cause a suppression of the inflammatory response. Although helpful in…

The United States and Australia have issued patents on Sonde Health‘s voice-analysis technology for diagnosing and monitoring multiple sclerosis and other diseases that affect speech. Sonde, which has dubbed its invention vocal biomarker technology, said the U.S. patent is  9,936,914 and the Australian one 2014374349. Both patents cover Sonde’s…

Professor Frederik Barkhof, MD, PhD, has won the 2018 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for pioneering the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to improve multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis and understanding of the disease. The prize, decided by a peer committee, is awarded annually by…

The Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system is starting a three-year nationwide study of the quality of care that multiple sclerosis patients receive. It will focus on geographic differences in care and quality improvement. The project’s name is the Multiple Sclerosis Continuous Quality Improvement Collaborative study. Its goal is to improve care by sharing…

A new company called Pipeline Therapeutics will focus on developing next-generation therapies for regenerating the key nerve-protection process that is damaged in multiple sclerosis. Roche, Inception Sciences, and the venture capital firm Versant Ventures laid the groundwork for Pipeline by establishing a partnership in June 2014 that formed the…

A Phase 3 trial testing an oral once-a-day therapy — ADS-5102 (amantadine) extended release capsules — in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with walking difficulties has enrolled its first participant, Adamas Pharmaceuticals announced. The multi-center, double-blind study (NCT03436199) will assess ADS-5102 in about 570 such patients at five sites…

A lot of people with multiple sclerosis take disease-modifying therapies to reduce the inflammation associated with the disease — but in many patients, the treatments’ effectiveness wanes at a certain points. When that occurs, the question is whether to stop taking these treatments, known as DMTs. A study reports that patients’…

A new project aimed at boosting the development of new therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating diseases recently won $1.7 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In the five-year study, a research team at the University at Buffalo (part of the State University…

A certain type of pain-relief treatment during childbirth does not increase the risk that women with multiple sclerosis will have relapses after delivering, a European study reports. The research involved treatments called neuraxial analgesia, so the scientists titled their study “Neuraxial analgesia is not associated with an increased risk of…

The laboratory-generated antibody GNbAC1 continued to limit brain shrinkage a year after relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients began receiving it, its developers announced. GeNeuro and Servier were reporting on the 12-month results of a Phase 2b clinical trial. GNbAC1 is a monoclonal antibody that destroys a harmful retroviral protein called pHERV-W which scientists have…

Cigarette smoking increases the relapse rate in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who are being treated with interferon-beta, a study suggests. The findings suggest that RRMS patients who smoke may have fewer relapses if they quit. An article on the results, “Smoking affects the interferon beta treatment response in multiple sclerosis,” appeared in the journal Neurology. A number of studies have looked at the link between environmental and lifestyle factors and the risk of developing MS. These factors include how much sunlight and vitamin D patients get and whether they have an Epstein-Barr virus infection. Cigarette smoking is a well-documented risk factor in MS, but most of the studies on it have focused on the link between smoking and MS, or the link between smoking and the  disease's progression. “Studies that addressed the relationship between smoking and disease activity in RRMS are rarer,” the researchers wrote. The team decided to investigate whether smoking during interferon-beta treatment would affect relapse rates. Previous research had set the stage for the study by showing a link between smoking and gene mutations that make people more susceptible to developing MS. The mutations were in the HLA and NAT1 genes. The team looked at DNA from 834 RRMS patients in the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Biobank who were treated with interferon-beta. Well-known brand names of the treatment include Rebif, Avonex, and Plegridy. There are also other brand names and biosimilar drugs. Researchers also looked at patients’ medical records two years before they started on interferon-beta. Before making any conclusions on possible links between smoking and patients' relapse rate, the team adjusted for patients’ sex, age at the start of treatment, and number of relapses in the two years before treatment began. Their key conclusion was that smoking increased by more than a quarter the number of relapses in patients on interferon-beta therapy. “Each pack of cigarettes more per day during IFN-β [interferon-beta] treatment increased the number of relapses by 27%,” the team wrote. The researchers found no association among smoking, relapses, and mutations of the HLA or NAT1 genes. “Our results confirm that lifestyle factors are important in MS, suggesting that smoking cessation may be associated with a reduction in disease activity,” they wrote. “Although not formally proving that smoking cessation will decrease disease activity in RRMS, the results should encourage physicians to inform patients with MS about the harmful effect of smoking and increase focus on smoking cessation,” they observed.

Blood Stem Cell Transplants Improve RRMS Patients’ Disability, Phase 3 Trial Shows Here’s yet another study that shows the benefits of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or AHSCT — the procedure in which a patient’s own stem cells are harvested and used to rebuild the…

Depression, anxiety and other mood disorders contribute to physical disability in women with multiples sclerosis, according to a Canadian study that confirmed the results of previous research. The article the team wrote, “Psychiatric comorbidity is associated with disability progression in multiple sclerosis,” appeared in the journal…

Emerald Health‘s investigational cannabidiol-derived EHP-101 reduces neuroinflammation, the risk of loss of myelin, and nerve cell damage in two mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. These results support the potential therapeutic benefits of EHP-101 for MS, and Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals expects to launch a human…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) is partnering with a number of organizations during Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in March to provide education, research and services to the MS community. CMSC is a non-profit organization that provides educational programs and resources to MS professionals, healthcare providers, researchers and the…

Symbiotix Biotherapies has gained access to Harvard University material that could help it develop treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel diseases. It obtained access to the intellectual property, much of which deals with gut bacteria, under a licensing agreement with Harvard. Intellectual property typically includes…

The American Brain Foundation has started a crowdfunding campaign to support research that could lead to treatments for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Foundation officials said the funds will help facilitate the work of Steffen Jung, head of the immunology department at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.