technology

Have you ever hit a brick wall trying to self-inject? I have. It was with Avonex, the first DMD that I used. To make a long story short, after a couple of years of poking myself in the thigh muscle, I just couldn’t do it anymore. That’s…

Virtual reality (VR) technology is most commonly associated with gaming and entertainment, but it’s expanding into a variety of clinical and healthcare applications. The Ontario-based biopharmaceutical firm EMD Serono, Canada, is now using VR as an informational and educational tool to provide a more profound understanding of what living with multiple sclerosis…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a supplemental biologics license application for two Bayer products that help multiple sclerosis patients keep track of their injections of Betaseron (interferon beta-1b). The products are the myBETAapp and the Betaconnect Navigator software. A biologics license application is a request for permission to market…

The use of multiple sclerosis (MS) mobile apps by patients and their clinicians encourages shared decision-making and helps patients improve their outcomes, finds a study presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), taking place May 24-27 in New Orleans. The study, “Shared Decision Making: Connecting…

A smartphone app has been designed to collect lots of information related to your multiple sclerosis – things such as physical and cognitive test results, MRI images, and even genetic data. The hope is that via the app researchers will be able to collect a lot of patient data…

A clinical trial of a smartphone app that helps multiple sclerosis (MS) understand and manage their disease — and to aid and speed research — is now recruiting people nationwide. Claimed to be the first of its kind, the app, called myMS, is designed to give MS patients quick and easy access to pertinent information, from clinical evaluations…

The online BrainHQ adaptive training program developed by Posit Science is better than any computer game at helping multiple sclerosis (MS) patients improve their cognitive skills, according to a study by researchers at New York University (NYU). The study, “Cognitive function in multiple sclerosis improves with telerehabilitation: Results from…

PODS (POlyhedrin Delivery System), a new technology designed to transport any protein in the human body, may open up new approaches in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases, says its British developer, Cell Guidance Systems. Created by Hajime Mori, a professor at Japan’s Kyoto Institute of Technology, PODS is…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and others with spinal cord injuries and disorders will speak at the United Spinal Association’s upcoming 6th Annual Roll on Capitol Hill, which takes place June 11-14 in Washington, D.C. Andrea Dalzell, Ms. Wheelchair New York 2015, will be among those advocating for greater access to complex rehabilitation technology.

A  multidisciplinary team at the University of California at San Diego has come up with a computerized glove used as a sensor to measure spasticity, or stiffness, in the limbs of patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke. The system is more accurate than physicians’ assessments of spasticity…

A physical scaffold that allows lab-grown brain cells to grow in a three-dimensional manner is giving scientists a whole new way of studying the regeneration of myelin, nerve coatings whose damage is at the heart of multiple sclerosis. The scaffold is allowing researchers to test large numbers of compounds for…

The United States has granted a patent to Kadimastem’s stem cell-based technology for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases of the nervous system. The patent involves the technology the company used to produce supporting cells in the central nervous system derived from human stem cells, including myelin-producing cells. The United…

Alexa, Amazon’s little voice-activated information box, has just received a multiple sclerosis infusion. As part of MS Awareness Month, fifty facts about MS have been loaded into Alexa’s memory. If a user says “Alexa, start MS Awareness” the system will respond with a random MS fact. (And a short…

In recognition of multiple sclerosis (MS) awareness month, Acorda Therapeutics has launched its Alexa skill, called MS Awareness Facts.  The interactive voice-controlled service allows users to ask Amazon Alexa for information regarding MS and its debilitating symptoms. Amazon Alexa is a cloud-based service that enable customers to interact in…

Telemedicine, which allows healthcare professionals to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients at a distance with telecommunications technology, may soon benefit people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Elizabeth Morrison-Banks, MD, a health sciences clinical professor at the University of California at Riverside School of Medicine, is planning a pilot one-year study of a home-based…

Earlier this month Bioness announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had cleared its new “L300 Go” functional electronic stimulator (FES). It’s an upgrade of the original “L300” that I’ve been using for more than five years. Without the “L300” strapped to my left leg…

One of the most troubling symptoms of multiple sclerosis, especially for those of us who are still working, is “brain fog” — not being able to concentrate … not feeling “sharp” when working on a task or solving problems. So I was interested to read about a new…

The French economic promotion agency Bpifrance has awarded Boston-based PathMaker Neurosystems a grant to finance the development of its MyoRegulator, a noninvasive neurotherapy technology to treat conditions linked to neural pathway disruption, including neuromotor spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Through the Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir (PIA-1), an investment program offered by Bpifrance, the  grant — whose…

The MS world lost a very important person on Feb. 8. Britain’s Sir Peter Mansfield, Nobel Laureate, passed away at the age of 83. For most of us, his name means little, but his work revolutionized the way multiple sclerosis is diagnosed, and the way progression of the disease…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of Bioness’ L300 Go System electrical-stimulation rehabilitation device for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and others with walking impairment. It is the first electrical stimulation device to offer 3D motion detection of gait and muscle activation, the company says. The L300…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who received transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) while playing brain-training video games improved their learning and understanding skills to a greater extent than those who only brain-trained. Researchers at NYU Langone’s Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center underscored that while more research is needed to explore the procedure’s…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are showing signs of cognitive impairment may benefit from computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation programs, according to a new study. Difficulties with short-term memory, or with processing information and concentrating, are believed to affect 40% to 65% of MS patients. Studies have suggested that cognitive rehabilitation may help, and that computer-assisted therapy used…

PathMaker Neurosystems and the Brain and Spine Institute (ICM) in Paris will collaborate on human clinical trials to secure CE Mark clearance for PathMaker’s MyoRegulator PM-2200, a noninvasive neurotherapy technology to treat conditions linked to neural pathway disruption, including multiple sclerosis (MS). CE Mark — which stands for “Conformité Européenne,” or European Conformity…

Siemens Healthineers and Biogen will collaborate to develop new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications that can quantify key markers of multiple sclerosis (MS). “By bringing together the shared expertise of both Siemens Healthineers and Biogen in imaging and neurology, respectively, we seek to develop new measurement tools that…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Bayer’s filing of a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for two products designed to improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS): myBETAapp and the BETACONNECT Navigator. Bayer created the BETACONNECT system to increase patient treatment compliance and improve…

A new ways of delivering drug therapies directly to the brain, overcoming the limitation imposed by the blood-brain barrier (a permeable barrier that protects the brain), has been discovered. The technique — which makes use of lipid bubbles and ultrasound — may pave the way for new treatments against neurological disorders,…

Royal Philips recently announced the introduction of the IntelliSpace Portal 9.0, the latest edition of its advanced comprehensive visual analysis and quantification platform for neurological disorders. The platform was presented at the 2016 Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting (RSNA), taking place through Dec. 2 in Chicago. Currently a work in…

Royal Philips will introduce a new suite of magnetic resonance (MR)-based software applications at the upcoming Radiological Society of North America’s 102nd Scientific Meeting and Annual Assembly (RSNA 2016; #RSNA16) Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 in Chicago. Philips’ Ingenia family of digital MRI systems provides radiologists with a unique set…

B-Temia announced the launch of its “b-Klinic Mobility” business unit, offering clinical services, information, training, and ongoing support to patients and healthcare professionals who use the company’s Keeogo walking assistive device. Keeogo is B-Temia’s first product in the class of dermoskeletons, designed to assist persons with mobility-related challenges that limit…

Helius Medical Technologies‘s Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS), a device being developed to treat neuroplasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases, has been recommended for ISO 13485 certification, an international standard of quality management for medical devices, after a positive evaluation by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Limited (LRQA). This…