treatment

A stem cell therapy being administered to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) outside the United States was recently touted by an MS patient who traveled to Mexico to receive the therapy, revealing significant improvements in her quality of life. Debbie Bertrand, an MS patient who was diagnosed in 2001, is sharing her…

A recent study suggests that in the future multiple sclerosis patients could benefit from treatments intended to boost their brain function. The study was published in Nature Neuroscience and received funding from The Wellcome Trust, the Lister Research Prize and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. According to researchers, patients…

Vaccinex, Inc. recently announced positive results for a multi center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical trial that evaluated single ascending-dose tolerability and safety in an experimental treatment for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) adult patients. The researchers enrolled 50 MS patients in one of five study groups (1, 3, 6, 10, and 20…

Researchers at the IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo” and the University of Messina in Italy have performed a review on the immunomodulatory activity reported for statins in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and on clinical trial results. The study was published in the journal Pharmacological…

The Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) developed a new purification method for pharmaceutical produced antibodies that promises to effectively decrease the high prices of these drugs in the market. Therapeutic antibodies revolutionized how doctors treat diseases affecting a large number of individuals, such as cancer and autoimmune…

New research from Italy and Spain demonstrated that intense immunosuppression followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) was better than the medication mitoxantrone in treating severe cases of multiple sclerosis. The study appeared in the February 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology.  MS is characterized by an immune system attack on the…

One of the most widely disputed treatments for multiple sclerosis is low dose naltrexone (LDN). While a plethora of patient testimonies and anecdotal evidence suggest immense benefits of LDN for multiple sclerosis, many clinicians are wary due to the lack of FDA approval outside of treating heroin and alcohol addiction.

Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the oldest research center in Australia, developed a molecule that may quell inflammation and stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The molecule could eventually be used as a drug for the disease. MS is an inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the body attacks…

This week the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in collaboration with The France Foundation, a provider of continuing medical education have launched a new educational program focused on the important issues that affect women with multiple sclerosis (MS), entitled, “Strategies to Improve the…

A new study recently published in the journal Nature Communications led by researchers at The University of Chicago revealed that a drug for hypertension has a protective effect against symptoms characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mouse models. The study is entitled “Pharmaceutical integrated…

Emotional health is important when battling any illness, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite this, sometimes the benefits of emotional health are overlooked by healthcare providers. Excessive stress can lead to anxiety and depression, which increases hormones such as adrenalin and glucocorticoids that shut down the immune system. Glucocorticoids have…

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists may have discovered a critical immune system switch that could affect genes involved in autoimmune diseases. The ground-breaking work, published in the journal Nature, may be useful for developing treatments for autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is characterized by an immune system…

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Woodlands, Texas, has announced the successful conclusion of negotiations amending its option and license agreement with Darmstadt, Germany based pharma multinational Merck’s “Merck Serono” division. Under terms of the revised agreement, Opexa will receive a $3 million payment to…

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified new compounds that could protect from multiple sclerosis related damage, based on studies in mice with nervous system damage, mimicking MS. The study appeared in the journal Nature Neuroscience. MS is an autoimmune…

An already approved medication used for bladder problems might help to treat multiple sclerosis, according to researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Lead author Fraser J. Sim, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the University at Buffalo…

A newly discovered molecule could play a pivotal role in inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, according to researchers at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Queensland Australia. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine, and describes a molecule known as MCC950 that can suppress the ‘NLRP3 inflammasome’,…

A recent study led by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada revealed a promising new method for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. The study was published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology and is…

 A study published by a team of investigators at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Medical Science and Osaka University’s Graduate School of Engineering presented new evidence demonstrating how Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) binds to pathogenic DNA, turning on the functions of the innate immune…

What may work better than existing drugs to treat severe multiple sclerosis? Stem cells. A phase 2 clinical study from an international group of research centers compared head-to-head autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) and mitoxantrone in treating patients with secondary progressive or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The findings showed that…

Under development at Innate Immunotherapeutics is a special drug candidate to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Currently, no viable therapies exist for SPMS — only less-effective means to treat SPMS patients through drugs designed for relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis — making the prospect of Innate’s experimental SPMS therapy a…

Several renowned scientists working on multiple sclerosis (MS) recently joined forces to discuss and highlight the progress and knowledge gaps related to MS research, the prospects of finding a cure for the disease, and a strategy to reduce the burden the disease places on patients. A series of articles was published by the researchers in the…

Phoenix, Arizona-based Creative Medical Health (CMH) has just announced it has submitted a patent application for its proprietary mesenchymal stem cell pipeline product, indicated for autoimmune diseases. The company is already preparing to launch the product into its first line of clinical tests, which will…

The 2012 and 2014 ballots approving legalization of cannabis in four U.S. states have stirred the pot, so to speak, on a wide range of issues and nuances related to the herb — not least marijuana’s clinical use as a therapeutic agent. Medical marijuana remains a topic of debate…

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. has released results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of rHIgM22 for multiple sclerosis, showing that the medication is safe and produces few side effects. rHIgM22 is a medication that may induce the re-wrapping of the myelin sheath that surround nerve cells,…

MicroConstants China, Inc., a company that provides preclinical, clinical, and consulting services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, has just announced it has acquired international rights to the development of AA98 antibody pipeline products, indicated for the treatment of several types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and age related macular degeneration…

MediciNova, Inc., has announced the acceptance of an abstract describing their ongoing Phase 2b clinical trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The poster is to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 67th Annual Meeting, April 18 – 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. The presentation is titled…

Drug development company Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced that a new clinical trial application with the United Kingdom’s Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been approved. The company is set to proceed with a Phase I study of its flagship pipeline product, Anatabine Citrate, a chemical that is found naturally…

A new research study indicates that in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation leads to improvement in neurological impairment and quality of life. The study, entitled “Association of Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation With Neurological Disability in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple…

Biopharmaceutical company Receptos, Inc. has enrolled the first participant with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) in its SUNBEAM phase 3 trial, which will evaluate the potential therapy RPC1063 in patients who suffer from the disease. The company’s phase 3 RADIANCE trial, also…

MedDay, a biotechnology company that develops new drugs for nervous system disorders, announced an update on the progress of its development pipeline with its lead product MD1003 for the treatment of primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The first study is expected to be complete in early 2015, while…