July 21, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Early disability tied to higher risk of secondary progressive MS: Study Experiencing disability in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), even without relapses, increases the risk of progression to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a more severe form of the disease, a large study finds. Starting a disease-modifying therapy early on in the disease may decrease the SPMS…
July 29, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS No Link Between MS Severity, Vitamin D-related Mutations: Study A number of genetic variations related to vitamin D metabolism were not significantly associated with the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. The study, “Role of Multiple Vitamin D-Related Polymorphisms in Multiple Sclerosis Severity: Preliminary Findings,” was published inĀ Genes. In MS, the body’s immune…
October 22, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Brain Volume, NfL Level Changes May Predict Disability in Relapsing MS A model that considers changes in brain volume and serum neurofilament (sNfL) levels during the early stages of multiple sclerosisĀ may help clinicians to determine an individual’s likely progression with relapsing forms of MS, a study suggests. āWe were able to build reliable, robust models capable of accurate predictions of…
June 29, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Abata Opens With Plans to Develop T-cell Therapies for Progressive MS Abata Therapeutics has opened with $95 million in financing, and plans to use regulatory T-cells to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, starting with progressive forms ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). Money raised will be used to support work for three clinical trials it plans to initiate in 2025, including…
May 14, 2021 Columns by John Connor MS and Boxing: Being Clever With My Pants After last week’s column about my neurologist declaring that I now have secondary progressive MS, a certain ennui has seeped into me. While this isn’t surprising, it’s also surprising, because I’m on the mood-altering drug fluoxetine. OK, fluoxetine is a regular antidepressant, but “mood-altering” sounds so much cooler.
May 7, 2021 Columns by John Connor Slipping Over the Event Horizon Into SPMS Isn’t it just like me to start my column with a physics analogy that is already confusing? Please stick with me, as all will be revealed. My point is that if a black hole is big enough, you might slip through its event horizon without even noticing. There would…
October 24, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell MS and Anxiety: Be Kind to Yourself and Ask for Help I am in a state of anxious exhaustion. Anxiety has been a lifelong companion that has presented itself in various ways since childhood. In hindsight, I can recognize triggers and reactions. During times of anxiety, I’ve felt as if I was losing my mind. Over the years, I’ve learned…
March 4, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New DMT, Stem Cell Trial, Pediatric MS Treatment Study FDA Will Review New Drug Application of Diroximel Fumarate for Relapsing Forms of MS The good news: Another disease-modifying therapy (DMT) has taken a step toward approval in the U.S. The discouraging news: It’s another DMT designed to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. More than a…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Should RRMS Disease-Modifying Drugs Be Used to Treat Secondary Progressive MS? A majorĀ dilemma facing clinicians is whether to continue treatment withĀ disease-modifying drugs, effective in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), as the disease progresses to secondary progressive MS (SPMS). In SPMS, Ā these treatments seem to lose their benefits and ā as they areĀ often associated with severe side effects and high costs ā clinicians…