technology

National MS Society Supports Stem Cell Transplant for Select, Aggressive RRMS Bravo! This statement is welcome after the recommendation of National Multiple Sclerosis Society advisers that autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant, or AHSCT, could be useful for people younger than 50 and recently diagnosed with MS. Now, how long…

Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13–15. Go here to see the latest stories from the conference. Four…

Whether we are aware of it or not, music infiltrates every part of our daily lives. It may be as subtle and inadvertent as music playing in the background at the grocery store or as obvious and intentional as jamming to tunes on our own playlists. But music also can…

Innodem Neurosciences is teaming up with Novartis Canada on a breakthrough clinical trial to evaluate if Innodem’s digital biomarker eye-tracking technology can monitor disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial will test Innodem’s “easy-to-use, affordable technology,” which works using visible light, with no special infrared…

Though I have fewer headaches than I used to thanks to acupuncture, I can usually count on at least one whammer a month. While I do take my fair share of over-the-counter pain pills, I don’t like taking copious amounts of medication for obvious reasons. So, I’m always on…

Would you sign up for healthcare from the place where you buy books, bluejeans, and bagels? Amazon thinks you might, and the company is moving closer to becoming the doctor in your house, according to a report last month by Insider. Amazon has been dabbling in the healthcare business…

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) effectively reduces tremors in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but may lead to worsening symptoms and speech problems, according to a review study. While these findings support the use of DBS for treating this common, disabling MS symptom, larger studies using standardized measures of…

I was tryin’ to find lots of things to do while being trapped at my desk because of a wheelchair mishap. Apologies for my adaption of Bing Crosby’s rendition of that happy-go-lucky song “Busy Doing Nothing.” I was trapped because at 8 p.m. last Friday night, the wire that…

A partnership will allow NervGen to use Imeka‘s proprietary biomarker imaging technology to precisely measure changes in the brain and spinal cord in its upcoming clinical trials, including a study of NVG-291 in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) NervGen plans to initiate Phase 1b/2 trials into its lead candidate for neural…

The Accessible Product Design Alliance has released a statement calling for changes in products and packaging design to assure equal accessibility among consumers, including those with disabling disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Composed of 11 nonprofit health consumer organizations in Australia and New Zealand — including MS…

Temedica, a Munich-based digital health company, has joined efforts with Roche to launch a free mobile app that aims to improve care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in Germany. Available in German only, the Brisa app will make a record of individual disease progression in…

I wish I could walk a mile in my shoes, but even with a new pair, that’s not going to happen. My MS limits me to about 100 steps while using two canes and a functional electrical stimulation device strapped under my left knee. Because walking is so difficult,…

Belong.Life has launched an app that allows health professionals to build and manage their own online communities of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Called i-Belong – Connecting Communities, the app offers to healthcare providers, pharmaceuticals, and patient advocacy and other groups a platform to effectively and efficiently educate…

Trial Will Test Ocrevus on Arm, Hand Function in PPMS A lot of the focus in MS treatment and clinical trials is placed on walking ability. It seems to me that only recently has attention been paid to above-the-waist disabilities. I know that many people with MS have problems…

A smartphone-based app called Floodlight can reliably assess cognition, arm and hand function, and walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new analyses. “Detection of progression onset or worsening is critical to optimally adapt the therapeutic strategy” patients are using to treat the neurodegenerative disease,…

Personal Zen, a digital anxiety management tool developed by Wise Therapeutics, eased anxiety and broad negative moods in people with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the results of a pilot study. This app-based therapy, a “mobile gamified version” of what is known as attention bias modification…

Sonoma Biotherapeutics has raised $265 million in investment funding to support the development and production of novel immune T-cell therapies to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). “We are ushering in a new era of medicine, using immune cells as living therapies that…

OM1, a technology company focused on chronic conditions, announced that it has launched a multiple sclerosis (MS) registry to generate data that may ultimately be used to improve care and develop treatments for the disease. The OM1 registry is being touted as the largest, most representative MS data…

Nvidia announced the launch of the U.K.’s most powerful supercomputer — called Cambridge-1 — which uses a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and simulation to help scientists to better understand complex diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and to design new therapeutics. Cambridge-1 is the first supercomputer designed…

In the past year, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics was granted four patents and is waiting for a fifth, already accepted, meant to provide protection for its NurOwn cell therapy and technology in territories around the world. NurOwn is being tested in clinical trials as a potential treatment for…

Stem Cell Transplant Trial Enrolls First Patient in Minnesota It looks as if we’re moving closer to the day when stem cell transplants become an approved MS treatment in the U.S., at least I hope so. A trial is enrolling subjects to test the stem cells against several…

BurnAlong and the Shepherd Center, a leading rehabilitation hospital in the U.S., have established a partnership to bring tailored rehabilitation classes to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neuromuscular diseases worldwide. The video classes, designed by clinicians, therapists, and wellness professionals at the Shepherd Center, based in Atlanta,…

A computer-based training program that exercises distinct components of attention and working memory can improve cognition in young people with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), a new study indicates. Findings also support a common pencil-and-paper measure of cognition, called the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), in detecting clinically meaningful changes…

Nasal Foralumab Led to Promising Immune Effects in Phase 1 Trial It sure would be nice to have a nasal spray to treat MS, but this research is still in its early stages. This study looked only at the safety and preliminary effectiveness of nasal foralumab on healthy volunteers.

Paging Dr. Google. OK, maybe I’m being overly dramatic, but The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Google and HCA Healthcare have struck a deal to share data and create healthcare algorithms. HCA plans to use the data system to improve operating efficiency, monitor patients, and even guide some decisions…

Belong.Life, a developer of a networking platforms that help patients navigate and manage their disease, has added a French language option in its BelongMS app for the French-speaking Canadian community. BelongMS is a free mobile app that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to support the multiple sclerosis (MS)…

Qynapse, a company that combines artificial intelligence with neuroimaging technology, is reaffirming its commitment to help advance multiple sclerosis (MS) research and care in recognition of World MS Day. World MS Day is officially celebrated on May 30, with global events and activities designed to raise disease awareness.

PicnicHealth and Komodo Health have agreed to combine their databases of patient medical records to support research based on real-world evidence. Together, the companies hope to unlock new insights into complex diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). “Komodo Health and PicnicHealth share a mission to utilize health data…

New York University (NYU) Langone Health has launched an at-home, therapeutic program of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) — a type of non-invasive brain stimulation — to reduce cognitive, motor, speech, or mood symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other brain disorders. A first of its kind, the…

Immersive virtual reality may make treadmill exercise more engaging and effective for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions that can make walking difficult, according to new research. The findings were published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, in the study “Immersive virtual reality…