technology

A few weeks ago I warned of the dangers that are possible when people turn to social media for information about their MS. But there’s another danger that technology and the internet have brought us: access to our own medical records. Sandra G. Boodman has taken…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently cleared the myBioness mobile app, designed by Bioness, to be used with the L300 Go System to improve muscle strength in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions that affect walking. The L300 Go System is approved to help…

Novartis and Pear Therapeutics are joining forces to develop novel prescription digital therapeutics to treat patients with schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis (MS). Digital therapeutics are software applications designed to treat diseases and improve clinical outcomes for patients. Combining Novartis’ expertise in biomedical research and clinical development with Pear’s…

An increase in multiple sclerosis cases in the Middle East and North Africa has prompted Bayer to introduce to the region an injector that patients can use to treat themselves. Researchers have suggested that increases in the region’s cases stem from many people adopting Western lifestyles, including smoking and using sun…

It was Burns Night last week, which is always a joy. I love whisky and am very partial to haggis (tricky to source, as we only buy the outdoor roving haggis!). A few years before MS hit, I went to a Burns Night supper where the only thing…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved technology that the Swedish company SyntheticMR developed to give doctors more information from magnetic resonance imaging scans. This means the company can begin selling its SyMRI NEURO packages to American medical facilities. Traditional MRIs offer only one level of contrast when depicting tissue. SyMRI NEURO…

Teams of inventors working to improve mobility for people with lower-limb paralysis, including those with multiple sclerosis (MS), are invited to take part in a $4 million technology challenge launched by Toyota Mobility Foundation and Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre. The most common causes of lower-limb paralysis are MS, spinal cord injury, and…

My neurologist orders an annual MRI to see if any major changes have occurred, and last year my imaging included NeuroQuant software. NeuroQuant is still relatively unknown in the multiple sclerosis patient community. It is a measuring software that gives us real numbers we can comprehend instead of subjective…

I never thought I’d find a subject for this MS column in the technology magazine Wired. But, what do you know? A recent article suggested that the same technology being used to create self-driving cars could (and should) be used to create self-driving wheelchairs. Artist and…

A physiotherapist-supported exercise program using Nintendo Wii may be a feasible and cost-effective way of helping  people with multiple sclerosis (MS) be more physically active, researchers reported after performing a small pilot study. While findings showed some evidence that people improved — both in terms of self-reported health, gait and balance measurements — researchers underscored that more data needs to be gathered on the intervention’s effectiveness, as the study mainly intended to determine if such a program was feasible. Researchers at the Bournemouth University and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, both in the U.K., argued that a physical activity intervention using active gaming at home may overcome the many challenges MS patients face when attempting to be active. Barriers to it could be physical, but psychological factors, such as fear, embarrassment, or lack of confidence, can also prevent patients from attempting to increase their activity levels. Moreover, practical aspects — such as transport and cost — can hinder people from joining interventions. In the report, “Mii-vitaliSe: a pilot randomised controlled trial of a home gaming system (Nintendo Wii) to increase activity levels, vitality and well-being in people with multiple sclerosis,” researchers explained they used data generated in earlier Nintendo Wii studies to design an improved intervention program. Earlier studies showed that behavior change techniques, including motivational interviews and problem solving, would likely improve the impact of an intervention. These early studies also highlighted the importance of considering the functional levels, environment, and preferences of individual patients when prescribing a Wii-based program. The study (ISRCTN49286846), described in the journal BMJ Open, shows that among the 30 people who signed up, only two dropped out because of medical reasons. Patients either received the 12-month intervention, called Mii-vitaliSe, directly or after a six-month waiting period. Those on the waiting list group were given six months of intervention. Patients, who had low levels of physical activity when the study began, were instructed as to the benefits of physical activity and on how to use the Wii. During the personalized intervention, participants had access to regular support from a physiotherapist and were provided with a personal activity workbook, which aided participants in setting goals and monitoring progress, among other things. They were also asked to keep a log to track their activity, which showed an average use of the Wii two times per week, for 27 minutes each day. Results showed that patients who started the intervention immediately tended to report better physical activity levels, and better physical and psychological well-being. They also had numerical improvements in gait and balance. While no severe adverse reactions were seen, participants reported pain and worsening of scar tissue after some exercises, for which they received follow-up advice and care. The team also identified several problems or difficulties, including wrongly completed questionnaires, that will allow them to improve measurements once they launch a larger study. "Our study is the first to report on home-based use of the Wii for people with MS in the UK. Overall, findings from this study are promising and support proceeding to a full-scale trial of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. We will refine the trial design, aspects of the intervention and finalize outcome measures in the light of our experiences from this pilot study" the researchers wrote.

Most multiple sclerosis patients who try Bayer’s BETACONNECT auto-injector stick with their treatment, a study reports. The electronic product may overcome the problem of many patients failing to stick to a therapy  schedule because of what they consider hassles connected with injections. An auto-injector is one that patients can use…

Researchers at Duke University want to determine if data collected through an iPhone app can ably capture individual experiences in people with multiple sclerosis to improve doctor-patient communication and overall disease understanding. According to a National MS Society report, the researchers want to investigate the benefits combining mobile phone-based data with machine learning (the ability of a smartphone to mimic human behavior) and patient participation. The study is currently enrolling MS patients, 18 or older, live in the United States and be able to read and understand English. Participants must own or have daily access to an iPhone (iOS 9 or greater) to download a free, MS Mosaic app from the Apple Store. The app is not yet available for Android phones. The rationale behind the study is that MS can be an extremely complex condition, with symptoms ranging from numbness, walking difficulty, to vision impairment and fatigue. Each patient's experience is different and can be affected by medication, emotional health, and environmental factors. This complexity can complicate research. Study participants will receive daily, weekly and monthly questionnaires to fill about their symptoms. Daily surveys should take no longer than a minute to complete, and weekly surveys about ten minutes. Initial registration should take about 20 minutes, the NMSS report says. In some of the surveys, participants will be asked to perform specific tasks while holding or using the mobile phone, like walking 25 steps, turning around, then walking back 25 steps – while holding the phone. Other tests include tapping on the phone screen repeatedly to test motor speed, coordination and fatigue, or playing a pattern game to assess short-term memory. These tasks should take about five minutes each. Patients can choose not to answer some of the questions or to participate in certain tasks. All information is collected through the app, and will be sent to a secure data server. Participants can export data to share with a healthcare provider. Each person will be identified by a code, and data will be analyzed in a way that maintains confidentiality. Researchers, however, be able to identify a participant should they need to do so for "research integrity or legal purposes," the report states. Questions regarding this study can be answered by sending an email to [email protected].

I’ve been using a Bioness L300 for just over five years to counter my foot drop. Without the L300 strapped to my left leg, it’s difficult for me to walk more than 25 or 30 steps, even with two canes. The L300 is a functional electronic…

The life science tech company IQuity has begun taking orders from physicians for an RNA-based blood test that can provide reliable yes or no results for multiple sclerosis in seven days – dramatically faster than previous options, which took months or years. The test, IsolateMS, can be a game-changer in…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often face geographic barriers that end up limiting their treatment options. That has led a Case Western Reserve University researcher to test online- and teleconference-based methods of reducing fatigue and improving patients’ quality of life. Matthew Plow, assistant professor at the university’s Frances Payne Bolton…

How many hours do the pharmaceutical companies think we have in our day? I ask because almost all of them have come up with very slick tools to use, particularly mobile apps, to help us improve our daily lives with MS. Not coincidentally, these apps also provide their…

Dignity Medical Solutions and Quest Specialty Products will jointly market the “Timo Solution” – a novel technology to manage urinary incontinence (UI), a condition that frequently affects patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Such patients report two main types of UI: urge incontinence, caused by nerve damage in the part of the…

Horseback Riding Plus Standard Care Can Help MS Patients Improve Balance, Other Symptoms Absolutely, it can. I don’t need to read this study to know that because I’ve been there, done that. About five years ago, at 64, I got back on a horse for the first…

I’ve just added an app to my iPhone that’s designed to track how I’m doing day-to-day with my MS. Not only can the data it collects be useful to me and to researchers, the app also is fun to use. The app is called elevateMS. It’s…

A multiple sclerosis study will collect information about patients' movement performance and symptoms from their smartphones, Novartis has reported. The study is aimed at evaluating in real time the daily challenges of people living with MS. The results may help researchers develop new ways to measure treatments' effectiveness, the company said. Novartis is partnering on what it has dubbed the elevateMS study with Sage Bionetworks. The non-profit research organization is developing new predictors of disease to accelerate health research. A cellphone application will allow MS patients to send information about their situation from anywhere. The app will use sensors to gather information on patients' movements. It will also assess functional performance tasks that participants engage in. Patients can also fill out questionnaires with the app. A division of Apple called the Apple ResearchKit platform developed the app. Those interested in participating in the study can download it here. The elevateMS app allows a smartphone user to register important features of their disease. It includes a symptom tracker tool that allows users to record their overall wellness. They can also get an overview of what's been happening to them on an activity dashboard. Patients, neurologists and disease advocates gave Apple's app team input that helped with the design. "As physicians, we always want to know how our patients with MS are doing on the treatments we prescribe," Dr. Stanley Cohan, medical director of the Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center in Portland, Oregon, said in a press release. "With the elevateMS app, study participants can frequently document their symptoms in a personal health story," said Cohan, one of the scientific advisors to the study. "In turn, this data may provide researchers with new ways to look at disease progression and treatment effectiveness." The elevateMS study is open to MS patients 18 years old or older in the United States who own a smartphone. Additional information about it is available at www.elevatems.org.

A patient satisfaction evaluation of three autoinjector devices for delivering multiple sclerosis treatments found that Bayer’s electronic autoinjector Betaconnect was the choice of 57 percent of the 85 people who took part in the study. Higher satisfaction with an autoinjector can lead to better adherence, or patients sticking with treatment,…

Myobuddy Products has enlisted a rising fitness star to help it publicize its new Myobuddy Massager Pro, a massaging device that can help anyone from an elite athlete to a person with a muscle condition such as multiple sclerosis. Dakota Rager, who qualified for the national Reebok CrossFit Games competition, is a former Army diver who beat out more than 200,000 men in several regional competitions this year. CrossFit is a workout regimen aimed at improving the body's normal functional movements. The Massager Pro takes a multi-pronged massaging approach, including vibration, heat and percussion therapy, or applying tension to the body. The device's benefits including soothing sore muscles and helping relax tight fascia, or connective tissue surrounding muscles. Myobuddy started an MS Support Program in May to encourage MS patients to try massage therapy and to advance research on the approach. The company said some MS patients report that the Massage Pro helps them sleep better by alleviating their restless leg syndrome. They also report that it relieves muscle tension and fatigue, it added. Myobuddy's website includes information on how to use the Massage Pro for any muscle group. Those with questions can get answers by emailing [email protected] or calling (844) 696-2833. Rager (@ragerdakota), who at 5’4’’ and 169 lbs. is built like a fireplug, said he uses everything he can to give him an edge in competitions. If a massage therapy device is powerful enough to help MS patients, then it can help him, too, he has decided. "I really love the Myobuddy Massager, and have been using it throughout my training," he said in a press release. "It has the perfect combination of vibration and power and really goes deep to soothe my sore muscles and relax my tight ones after rigorous workouts. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants their muscles to feel and perform their very best." At only 25, Rager is already ranked as one of the top 100 CrossFit competitors worldwide. He was just one of 40 men to participate in the Reebok CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, Aug. 3-6. "We've had a lot of highly influential people in the sports and fitness world deliver organic endorsements for the Myobuddy, and we're extremely grateful for that," said Lillo Furca, Myobuddy's founder and CEO. "We've spent so much time and energy perfecting our massager to ensure that it delivers optimal results. The testimonies are a testament to our team and to our product." The company loves to "hear about how we're helping people who put their bodies in extreme situations on a regular basis," he added.

An exoskeleton developed by Harvard University researchers could restore multiple sclerosis patients’ balance and some of their walking capability, according to a study. ReWalk Robotics is moving toward commercializing the system, developed at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. In addition to MS patients, the exosuit should help people with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative conditions,…

The MyoPro electric arm, which uses motors to help multiple sclerosis patients move weakened arms and hands, has obtained a quality designation required for selling medical equipment in Europe. Myomo‘s powered brace, which also helps people with spinal cord and nerve injuries, received what the European Union calls CE Mark certification. The company…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the marketing of Cognigram, a medical device developed by the cognitive science company Cogstate to evaluate a patient’s cognitive health. This device may be a…

The neurotransmitter glutamate triggers most brain signals by activating proteins on the surface of neurons called glutamate receptors. Columbia University Medical Center researchers have taken the first 3D images of the AMPA-subtype glutamate receptors involved in several brain activities, including memory and learning. By increasing scientists' understanding of how the receptors work, the images could offer insight into the role that faulty receptors play in the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. And that insight could lead to therapies. “With our new findings, we can now, for the first time, visualize how the neurotransmitter glutamate opens glutamate receptor ion channels,” Dr. Alexander Sobolevsky, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia, said in a news release. “This is the fundamental process that directly affects learning and memory, and finding its structural determinants has been the primary goal of molecular neuroscience since the ‘90s," added Sobolevsky, the senior author of the study. For the brain to work properly, neurons need to communicate with each other. To do that, they use neurotransmitters, small compounds that pass from one cell to a receptor on another cell. Glutamate is the neurotransmitter involved in many of these communications, and glutamate receptors are the structures that gather up many of the signals. Several types of glutamate receptors participate in cognitive functions. AMPA receptors – a subgroup of glutamate receptors – are known for their fast activity, opening and closing in less than a millisecond. Because they work so fast, they are involved in rapid brain responses, such as rapid perception and reaction to the surrounding environment. For years, researchers have tried to understand how AMPA receptors work. In previous studies, Sobolevsky's team learned how the receptors regulated both the speed and strength of cell communications. In the recent study, the researchers used advanced imaging techniques developed by Dr. Joachim Frank to record the actions of the AMPA receptors. Frank, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and biological sciences, was a co-author of the study. The images showed that AMPA receptors open in the presence of glutamate or a similar signaling compound. The mechanism can be compared to a camera’s iris, or aperture. The signaling particles pass through the opening, triggering electrical signals necessary for brain activity. “These new fundamental discoveries have implications for our understanding of neurotransmission by glutamate, our brain’s major neurotransmitter,” said Edward C. Twomey, a Ph.D. candidate who was the first author of the study. “Understanding these processes will impact future studies on glutamate receptor signaling in neurodegenerative diseases as well as drug design.”

“O-cree-VUS,” I said, clearly and naturally into the headset. I had recently purchased the device for use with the voice-to-text software I need to type (MS, right-hand weakness, loss of finger dexterity and motor skills). “Okra bus” slowly appeared on my computer screen. It was late March, and I was working on my first column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had just approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for use in the United States, making it the only drug to receive the agency's blessing for treating primary progressive multiple sclerosis. It was a big deal — so big that even my friends and family were aware of the announcement. Naturally, I wanted to write about it. I tried again. “Oh-CREV-us,” I repeated. Clearly, yet naturally. I use Dragon for Mac speech-recognition software to write \. “Clearly and naturally” is part of the software’s mantra. “O Christmas.” “Ohhhh-creeee-VUUUS,” I said. Very. Clearly. Very. Naturally. “Okra vest.” The weakness in my right foot that led to foot drop began in the early 2000s. The weakness in my right hand didn’t present itself until late 2015. At first, I tried using Apple’s Scribe feature, largely because it was already installed on the Mac I had purchased that year, and also because Mac and Apple products are easy to use and intuitive … most of the time. Scribe seemed clunky, and the lag time between saying a word and Microsoft Word recognizing it and “typing” it was significant. At one time, I had written 5,000-word feature stories, time-consuming projects that demanded long hours of composition, editing, typing, and writing. I’ve written for so long that writing and typing and my fingers were woven together, a symbiotic relationship that I couldn’t fathom ending. Yet, it became clear that this was going to be a new hurdle (foolishly, one I hadn’t anticipated) and would require a different way of thinking about writing, of what I “do” in life, and in that way, of who I was versus who I am. By spring of 2016, it was obvious that my typing days were coming to an end, and I began using Dragon for Mac. (Full transparency: The folks at Dragon provided a review copy for me to try for free.) But I didn’t want to read the instructions for using Dragon. And I didn’t want to practice. I just wanted it to work, and I just wanted to be the “me” I remembered. As long as I was only writing short emails and could live with sketchy grammar, it was awesome. Drunk from my regained capacity, I began writing and sending emails to everyone for everything. The sobering reality that came with writing anything of substance or craft — hands-free — was equally spectacular. Slowly, I came to understand that Dragon (and all such software and, frankly, all such assistance for better managing my MS and helping myself) was no better than the effort I put into making it work. The people at Dragon asked if I’d write a review of the product, which you’ll find here. The short story is that Dragon is a dictation “robot.” It can format, and cut and paste, and carry out so many of the functions that we take for granted, or at least, once did. With time, commitment, and effort, Dragon learns users’ voices, and within reason, can get the job done even for longer, more complex composition. It even offers a “custom word bank” in which users may add frequently used words, like Ocrevus or ocrelizumab. But I hadn’t made the effort. “Oh-KRA-liz-ooh-MAB” I said, switching it up and hoping Dragon would finally recognize the word. “Oak Grove Missoula lab.” My deadline was looming and I could hear the clock ticking. Clearly and naturally, I screamed “OCREVUS!” into the headset. “Oh crap this.” At that moment I realized how valuable the software was and is. No, it didn’t get the spelling correct, but it did help make that first column possible and it did help me hang on to something I still find very valuable. And, in its own way, Dragon seemed to understand not just the word but also the context. “Oh crap this indeed,” I thought, smiling. And then Dragon and I finished my column.

About a year ago, I first learned about something called an Ogo. It was just in the development phase then, but it was the neatest thing I’d ever seen for getting around when your legs can’t do the job. You don’t need to use your arms, either.

How cool is this? Though it's not yet related to multiple sclerosis, researchers are developing a Band-Aid-size patch that can inoculate someone with the flu vaccine. The patch is made up of 100 solid, water-soluble microneedles that are just long enough to penetrate the skin. They’re contained in an area about the size of a dime. Adhesive helps the patch grip the skin during the administration of the vaccine, which is encapsulated in the needles and is released in about 20 minutes, as the needle tips dissolve. The patch is then peeled away and discarded like a used bandage strip. The researchers, working at Georgia Tech and Emory University, report that in their Phase I clinical trial the patch was just as effective in generating immunity against the flu as the traditional flu shot. They believe the microneedle patch can save money because it is easily self-administered, it can be transported and stored without refrigeration, and it’s easy to dispose of without needing a sharps waste container. Above all, says principal investigator Nadine Rouphael, MD, of the Emory University School of Medicine, “having the option of a flu vaccine that can be easily and painlessly self-administered could increase coverage and protection by this important vaccine.” Now, I don’t want to jump the gun. Although the researchers are working to develop these microneedle patches for use with other vaccines, including measles, rubella and polio, they’ve only completed the first phase of their clinical trials. They’re now planning a Phase 2 trial with more participants. Whether MS drugs might, someday, be administered this way is anyone’s guess. But, it certainly would be nice if one day, instead of jabbing yourself in the thigh for your scheduled MS shot, you could deliver your MS medication by just putting a Band-Aid on your skin.

Researchers managed to change the immune system — replacing inflammation with immune tolerance — in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) using so-called quantum dots, or nano-sized particles carrying pieces of myelin. Experiments with this advanced technological solution may help researchers design MS therapies that are based on promoting regulatory T-cells rather…