February 15, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD TH17-suppressing Pregnancy Proteins May Be MS Therapeutic Target Proteins called PSGs suppress the pro-inflammatory activity of immune Th17 cells during pregnancy, potentially playing a protective role against complications and miscarriage, a study finds.Ā The impaired regulation of Th17 is associated with pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia and preterm delivery ā and also with the development…
January 28, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Newly ID’d Group of Astrocytes Seen to Help Prevent Brain Inflammation A newly identified subset of astrocytes ā cells long thought to be responsible for simply providing nutrition and support to neurons ā can prevent brain inflammation by promoting the destruction of pro-inflammatory immune T-cells, scientistsĀ report. Their work also found that the anti-inflammatory activity of this astrocyte subpopulation is dependent on…
January 20, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD New Primate Model Can Shed Light on Mechanisms Underlying Myelin Loss A new primate model uncovered by researchers can help scientists understand the immune and inflammatory processes underlying the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans, a study reports. It was already known that Japanese macaques ā also called snow monkeys ā can spontaneously develop encephalomyelitis (JME), a disorder that…
January 19, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Ocrevus Targets Pro-inflammatory T-cells, Not Just B-cells, in PPMS, Study Finds In addition to significantly reducing subsets of B-cells ā its main immune cell target ā Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) lessens pro-inflammatory immune T-cells in people with primary progressiveĀ multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a small study shows. Notably, the suppression of immune cell subsets thought to be involved in the abnormal immune responses…
January 14, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD New Technique May Help Isolate, Characterize T-cells in MS Research Scientists at the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center have developed a technique able to more efficiently isolate specific T-cells ā immune cells involved not only in the fight against infections and cancer but also in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) ā for research. In particular, the…
January 7, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Obesity, High BMI Linked to Greater MS Risk, Autoimmune Activity Obesity and a higher body mass index (BMI) are associated with both increased multiple sclerosis (MS) risk and harmful autoimmune activity that is induced by leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells, a study finds. These results indicate that leptin, which helps regulate…
November 11, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Air Pollution, Once Inhaled, Seen to Trigger Inflammation in RRMS Patients Exposure to air pollution, particularly toĀ particulate matter 10Ā (PM10), small airborne and inhalable particles, may trigger inflammatory reactions in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study reported. The study “Air pollution as a contributor to the inflammatory activity of multiple sclerosis” was published in the Journal of…
October 27, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Recently Identified Subset of Immune Cells Plays Role in MS, Study Suggests A newly identified population of immune cells contributes to inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. The study, “A distinct GM-CSF+ T helper cell subset requires T-bet to adopt a TH1 phenotype and promote neuroinflammation,” was published in Science Immunology. MS is an…
October 26, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Variants in Key Gene Interact With Insults Like EBV to Cause MS, Study Suggests The HLA-DR15 haplotype ā a set of gene variants that tend to be inherited together ā in the HLA-DRB1 gene plays a role in autoimmune response and, in combination with environmental factors, contributes to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, ā…
October 22, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD European Patent Given to IMP761, Antibody Aiming to Treat MS The European Patent Office granted a patent for IMP761, Immutep‘s experimental antibody to be used in treating inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS). IMP761 targets a receptor found on the surface of immune system T-cellsĀ calledĀ lymphocyte-activation gene 3,…
October 7, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Rituximab Seen to Affect How B-cells Return After Treatment Stops Rituximab, an investigational B-cell depletion therapy that target CD20 to treat people with multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā has significant effects on the characteristics of B-cells that return after treatment is stopped, with cells being less mature yet more activated toward a pro-inflammatory state, a study showed. Treatment also…
September 25, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Anokion Planning Launch of Phase 1 Trial of Investigational MS Therapy ANK-700 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted an investigational new drug application (IND) for ANK-700, a treatment candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS) that is being developed by the Swiss company Anokion. With this approval, Anokion can enter clinical testing and is planning to…
September 24, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Immune Treg Cells Seen to Ease Paralysis in Mouse Model of MS Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā immune cells that normally dampen immune and inflammatory responses by inhibiting the activity of pro-inflammatory immune cells ā enabled mice in a model of multiple sclerosisĀ to partly recover from limb and tail paralysis, scientists reported. Tregs can do this by preventing a subtype of…
September 8, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – ATA188 Safe, Early Efficacy Seen in Progressive MS Trial ATA188, Atara Biotherapeuticsā investigative T-cell immunotherapy, is safe, well tolerated, and able to ease disability and improve exercise capacity in patients with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to one-year data from a Phase 1 trial and its long-term extension study. Findings also showed that, after…
August 31, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Immune T-cells Trigger Early MS Inflammation, Twin Study RevealsĀ A comparison of immune cells isolated from identical twins ā in which only one of each pair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā identified a population of immune-regulating T-cells present in those with asymptomatic brain inflammation, a study has found.Ā …
August 28, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Gut Bacteria Working in Concert May Promote MS, Early Study Suggests Two specific bacteria present together in the gut led to more immune attacks on myelinĀ and harsher symptoms in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). These findings add toĀ existing evidenceĀ supporting the link between gut microbiota and MS, and highlight the need to consider potential combined effects of these…
June 22, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Hookworm Infection Seen to Boost T-cells That Regulate Immune System A person infected through the skin by the hookworm Necator americanusĀ shows a spike in Ā regulatory T-cells, specialized immune T-cells that work to limit inflammation, and a controlled infection by these generally safe worms may benefit some relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, research suggests. āThe…
June 19, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD 1st Progressive MS Patient Enrolls in Phase 1b Study of Cell Therapy ATA188 Atara Biotherapeutics has enrolled a first patient in a clinical trialĀ testingĀ ATA188, its off-the-shelf T-cell immunotherapy for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The Phase 1b trial (NCT03283826) follows promising safety and tolerability results from its open-label Phase 1a part, including a…
June 11, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NIH Backs Project Examining Failure of Immune Tolerance Leading to Autoimmune Disease A new research project will seek to understand the development of immune cells that drive autoimmune diseases such asĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). The project will be led by Leszek Ignatowicz, PhD, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, and will be funded by…
June 11, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Immune Cells Reprogrammed in Mice May Lead to Potential MS Treatment, Study Suggests After repeated exposure to a fragment of the myelin protein ā the target of autoimmune attack in multiple sclerosis (MS) ā immune cells in mice were reprogrammed to be tolerant to myelin, suppressing the immune response associated with the disease, a study revealed.Ā Researchers showed that in these…
June 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Blood Factors Impair Metabolism of Blood-brain Barrier in MS, Study Suggests Molecules in the blood of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients promote a pro-inflammatory state and impair the metabolism and integrity of the blood-brain barrier, a study suggests. In MS, the disruption of the blood-brain barrierĀ (BBB)Ā ā a highly selective and protective membrane ā allows immune cells to reach the central nervous…
May 29, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Cell Therapy ATA188 Safely Easing Disability in Progressive MS, Trial Reports Atara Biotherapeutics‘ cell-based therapy ATA188 is safe and well-tolerated in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and induces a sustained reduction in disability in a dose-dependent manner, findings from the first part of a Phase 1 clinical trial show. ATA188 had an…
May 19, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Memory Immune Cells Play Key Role in Advanced MS, Study Suggests In the brains of people with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), memory immune cells reside in the brain tissue rather than entering through the bloodstream, a new study suggests. The study, “Tissue-resident memory T cells invade the brain parenchyma in multiple sclerosis white matter lesions,” was published…
May 7, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD NurOwn May Curb Damaging Neuroinflammation in MS, Study Finds NurOwn, believed to haveĀ neuroprotective and repairing effects,Ā may also be able to curb the damaging immune responses that contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) progression, a recent study found. This newly identified potential may extend the benefits of this cell-based therapy, its researchers believe. The findings were to be presented…
April 28, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Rituximab May Prevent MS if Given at Earliest Disease Signs, Mouse Study Suggests Using rituximab to preventĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) in people at risk or in patients still without motor symptoms, and continuing treatment as the disease develops, may be a promising way to avoid inflammation andĀ myelinĀ loss in the brain, a study in mice suggests. In an animal model of MS,…
April 21, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Potential Antibody Treatment for MS, by Immutep, Moving Toward Clinical Trials With the development of a cell line that produces significant amounts of Immutep‘s treatment candidate,Ā IMP761, the company is preparing to advance its antibody into clinical testing for autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Immutep also reports that is adapting its manufacturing operations to comply with…
April 20, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD ‘Chaperone’ Protein’s Lack Tied to Myelin Injury, Autoimmune Disease in Mouse Study The lack of a āchaperoneā protein ā calledĀ HLA-DOĀ ā that helps to protect the body against threats by presenting specific molecules (antigens) to immune cells to drive a response,Ā promoted the development of a self-reactive immune system and autoimmune disease, according to a study in mice. Particularly, the work showed…
March 3, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – IL-13 May Be ‘Attractive’ Target for Easing Inflammation in MS A signaling molecule of the immune system called interleukin 13 (IL-13) may modulate the function of key immune cells involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), and their migration through the barrier that protects the brain and spinal cord. IL-13 is an “attractive molecule” and a potential avenue for treating MS,…
March 3, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Ozanimod May Ease Inflammation While Retaining Some Immune Defenses Ozanimod ā an investigational oral therapy up for approval to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) ā lowers the number of white blood cells circulating in the blood, supporting its ability to ease inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. But this treatment also does not affect all…
March 2, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Protein May Drive Process Causing T-cells to Attack Myelin A protein called dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) is key for the development and expansion of self-reactive immune T-cells that wrongly attack myelin, a study in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) found. DOCK8 drives the migration and stimulating capacity of dendritic cells ā immune cells that ‘teach’…