March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Pros and Cons of MS Drugs Targeting Immune Cells Other Than B-cells Debated Clinical trials have shown that ocrelizumabĀ ā an antibody targeting B-cells ā is effective in multiple sclerosis (MS). As a result, some researchers and clinicians claim that B-cell depletion is a sufficient therapy in MS, and that drugs targeting other immune cells are obsolete. Not everyone agrees. A debate at…
March 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD CONy16: Sanofi Genzyme Symposium on MS Therapies Targeting T and B Cells; Exclusive Interview with Lead Researcher Sanofi Genzyme,Ā one of the companies participatingĀ in the four-dayĀ 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) in Lisbon, Portugal, that concludedĀ on March 20, 2016, supported several symposiums focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) ā including one on B-cell and T-cell therapies. For over a decade, Sanofi Genzyme has workedĀ to developĀ effective therapies…
February 24, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Funds Research Using Zebrafish to Observe CD46 Protein and Its Role in Brain Inflammation In an innovative research project funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Dr. Anne Astier from the University of Edinburgh, U.K., and her team will use zebrafish to track theĀ CD46Ā protein and determine where and how it affects the movement ofĀ immune cellsĀ into the brain, a process believed to influence…
February 4, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD RRMS Drug Works by Shifting Anti-Inflammatory Immune Profile, Study Shows Researchers have found that changes in the compositionĀ of immune molecules ā specifically, a shift to more anti-inflammatory cytokines and regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā likely account for the efficiencyĀ of alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) as a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study, titledĀ “Alemtuzumab long-term immunologic effect: Treg suppressor function…
January 27, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc New MS Treatments May Come from Study of Immune System Protein Researchers haveĀ discovered a protein regulator that leads to autoimmune inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a possibly important discovery because potential therapeutic targets for diseases like MS are believed to lie in this cascade of inflammatory events. The researchers, in fact, suggest that the regulator, called Trabid, is one of…
January 27, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Tecfidera Seen to Alter Anti-Inflammatory Profile in Immune Cells Delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) was recently approved for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), although the mechanisms by which the drug exerts its action wereĀ not fully understood. A new study from the University Hospital MĆ¼nster, Germany, shows that dimethyl fumarate alters the balance between subpopulations of T-cells to promote…
January 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vitamin D’s Influence on MS Target of New Study A team of researchers recently discovered two novel multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated genes that are regulated by vitamin D levels. The study, titled āThe multiple sclerosis susceptibility genes TAGAP and IL2RA are regulated by vitamin D in CD4+ T cells,ā was published in the advanced online section ofĀ …
January 15, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Potential MS Treatment Targeting CD3 Receptor Moving into Development Tiziana Life Sciences, plc, a biotechnology company specializing inĀ drugs to treat immunological and oncological diseases,Ā recently announced its intentĀ toĀ further develop foralumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the CD3 receptor. This approach, aimingĀ to modulate the immune T cell response and achieve immunosuppression, is well-validated and has the potential to…
November 4, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Multiple Sclerosis Study Reveals Protein’s Role in Disease Activation In a new study entitled āTranscription factor Nr4a1 couples sympathetic and inflammatory cues in CNS-recruited macrophages to limit neuroinflammation,ā a team of scientists discovered the mechanism by whichĀ autoreactiveĀ T cells are capable of penetrating a patient’sĀ brain and induce multiple sclerosis. The study was recently published in the advance online issue…
October 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Autoimmune Flare-Ups in Multiple Sclerosis May Be Influenced by Dietary Fat Results from a recent study published in the journal Immunity indicate thatĀ dietary fat has an influence in the duration and severity of autoimmune flare-ups in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The team of researchers also showed that adjusting the length of the fatty acids consumed by…
October 14, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Study Identifies Blood Coagulation Protein Fibrinogen as Cause of Brain Autoimmunity Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have shown in a new study that fibrinogen, an important blood coagulation protein, can induce an autoimmune response in the central nervous system when the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is disrupted and blood proteins enter the brain. The study, entitled āBlood coagulation protein fibrinogen promotes…
September 11, 2015 News by Maureen Newman Melatonin Levels Positively Correlate With Fewer MS Flare-Ups, According to Study Melatonin, the same hormone that helps people fall asleep by regulating the body’s internal clock, may be helpful in treating multiple sclerosis, according to a study from RaĆŗl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research in Buenos Aires. Neurologists Dr. Mauricio Farez and Dr. Francisco Quintana noticed that when melatonin levels are…