MSRC Latest MS Research News

Chlamydia pneumoniae bactrium - one possible cause of Multiple Sclerosis?

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:26:00 EST

Chlamydia pneumoniae bactrium - one possible cause of Multiple Sclerosis? Recently, the most convincing data ever presented relating infection with a specific organism to multiple sclerosis has been reported from the Department of Neurology and Pathology, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Subramaniam Sriram and coworkers, publishing their results in the Annals of Neurology, have demonstrated the presence of a specific type of bacteria in 100% of the 37 multiple sclerosis patients they studied. As the authors reported, "The evidence of Chlamydia pneumoniae in both progressive MS and relapsing-remitting patients suggests that the infection of the central nervous system with Chlamydia pneumoniae occurs early and persists perhaps throughout the course of the disease and does not differentiate between different clinical subtypes of the disease." This purported relationship between risk for multiple sclerosis and infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae was recently substantiated in a study appearing in the March 2003 issue of Epidemiology. In this report, Harvard researcher Kassandra Munger found a 70% increased incidence of multiple sclerosis in women seropositive for the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies. This organism is a fairly recent addition to the list of bacteria known to affect humans. It is now recognized as a cause of pneumonia, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and several chronic diseases. More importantly, Chlamydia pneumoniae has now been recognized as playing at least some causative role in reactive arthritis and coronary artery disease, medical conditions which, like MS, are characterized by ongoing inflammation................ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Other Conditions : Chlamydia Pneumonia - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=741

Possible vaccine hope in virus link to Multiple Sclerosis

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:07:00 EST

The debilitating disease multiple sclerosis, which affects more than 18,000 Australians, could be prevented with a vaccine being trialled in Europe. Researchers from the University of Queensland yesterday confirmed a link between the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever and is carried by more than 90 per cent of the world's population, and multiple sclerosis, saying the vaccine, developed to combat glandular fever, could save thousands of lives. But some doctors are cautious, warning that the vaccine has not been fully tested as a preventive for multiple sclerosis and does not take into account the influence of genetic and environmental factors which can also trigger the disease. Previous studies have shown that people with a parent, child or sibling with multiple sclerosis are at a greater risk of contracting the disease themselves, and the further someone lives from the equator, the higher their risk, indicating that exposure to sunlight and vitamin D play a significant role. In people with multiple sclerosis, the body's immune system attacks the nervous system, causing bladder and bowel dysfunction, memory loss, tremors, vision problems, hearing loss, anxiety, depression, dizziness and difficulty in walking. There is no cure and medications can only ease symptoms. More than 99 per cent of people with multiple sclerosis have been infected with Epstein-Barr virus during their lifetime but those who contract the virus in the first few years of life, such as children in developing countries where the virus is endemic, show no symptoms. Those who contract the virus in their teens or early 20s, as in most Western countries, usually develop glandular fever, or infectious mononucleosis, and suffer from extreme fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, throat inflammation and weight loss. Research has shown those people are more likely to go on to develop multiple sclerosis later in life..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Other Conditions : Epstein-Barr Virus

Environment may cause increase in Multiple Sclerosis among women only

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:09:00 EST

Gender has become a dominant factor in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) during the last decades. Already with a ratio of 3.2 to 1 MS is gradually changing into a disease predominantly among women. Since genetic factors can be ruled out as a cause of this gender related increase, scientific attention is on environmental factors that may increase MS risk in women exclusively. Most likely environmental factors include smoking, viral infections, Vitamin D deficiency, hygiene changes and dietary factors. Almost 400 MS scientists and clinicians from around the world gathered this week during a medical scientific conference on 'Multiple Sclerosis and Gender', organized by the independent European Charcot Foundation, to share and discuss their scientific views on the backgrounds of this major shift in gender ratio. "In due course the raised attention on gender related topics will undoubtedly lead to better results and questions regarding individualised MS treatment, both in women and men", professor O.R. Hommes, chairman of the European Charcot Foundation stated. "This conference has raised the simple question whether females with MS should be treated differently than males".................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Environmental Factors And MS Research

University explores exercise intervention for Multiple Sclerosis

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:16:00 EST

Sheffield Hallam University has been awarded a new �200,000 research grant to investigate the effects of exercise intervention on sufferers of multiple sclerosis (MS). The MS Society has awarded the grant to the University's Centre for Sport and Exercise Science, which will study the effects of exercise therapy on physical activity and health outcomes in people living with MS. Led by Dr John Saxton, a Reader in Clinical Exercise Physiology, the grant becomes the third received from the Society by Sheffield Hallam University. "Living with multiple sclerosis is a difficult experience both physically and mentally," said Dr Saxton. "This has created a need for clinicians and researchers to address issues that are related to the long-term health-related quality of life for people with the condition. Our study will tackle some important questions, the answers to which we hope will not only help people with MS but also the organisations which must budget for their treatment." MS research has previously demonstrated that exercise is an effective intervention which improves function, mobility and health-related quality of life in people living with the disease, but it is not known what type of intervention or what dose of exercise might be most effective. Dr Saxton's study will seek not only to develop knowledge in this area, but also to examine the cost-effectiveness of a practical exercise intervention. This aspect will play a vital role in decisions by health policy makers over the implementation of such treatments............ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Exercise : General Exercise Research

Pregnancy and multiple sclerosis

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:04:00 EST

At any one time, there are around 20 000 women of childbearing age with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK who may be considering having children. Neurologists can be asked for information from both patients and obstetric colleagues on a range of topics related to pregnancy and MS that extend beyond the well-known implications for relapse risk. This article aims to provide a brief overview for the general neurologist of the most commonly encountered issues and questions including those occasionally related to pregnancy management. The take-home message is that pregnancy does not hold adverse risks for the majority of patients with MS, or vice versa. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system with onset typically in the second to third decade and is twice as prevalent in females as males. In the past, there has been speculation that pregnancy, together with other stressful life events, adversely affects the risk of relapse1 or the course of the disease.2 In fact, pregnancy appears to be associated with a temporary beneficial immune state for patients with MS partly mediated through an effect on T lymphocyte subsets. This effect may have relevance for autoimmune diseases in general. The pathogenesis of MS remains incompletely understood but involves a maladaptive humoral and cell-mediated immune response to an as-yet undetermined antigen(s). The popular model begins with peripheral T cell sensitisation in response to macrophage presentation of a foreign "myelin mimicking" antigen in association with MHC class II.3 This results in peripherally activated T cells expressing, and recognising, vascular adhesion molecules facilitating their entry to the central nervous system (CNS). Inside the CNS, activated T cells release pro-inflammatory cytokines resulting in upregulation of local CNS microglia to antigen-presenting cells with the capacity to present self-myelin and other myelin-associated proteins. This leads to an "epitope spreading" phenomenon and further secondary activation of T cells triggering an autoimmune inflammatory cascade. A direct and bystander inflammatory response results in CNS conduction block, demyelination and axonal damage that variably contribute to reversible and persistent neuronal dysfunction with associated neurological disability. Other models of disease pathogenesis exist such as persistence of a foreign viral antigen as the perpetuating stimulus,4 but most models place T cells centre stage. T cells can be subdivided into cytotoxic and helper T cells. The latter are associated with the MHC class II linked immune response underlying MS and subdivide into type-1 (Th-1) and type-2 (Th-2) helper cells. Th-1 cells release pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL2, INF- and TNF-, while Th-2 cells are broadly antagonistic, secreting IL-6 and IL-10 which suppress the Th-1 response and drive B cell maturation and antibody production.5 MS is believed primarily to be a Th-1 driven immune state with Th-1 associated pro-inflammatory cytokines promoting blood-brain barrier breakdown, further immune cell recruitment, myelin and axonal injury. The balance between Th-1 and Th-2 associated immune states therefore influences disease activity and itself appears hormonally sensitive with pregnancy favouring a Th-2 type response. Pregnancy, by necessity, involves a relative state of immunosuppression as the fetus carries paternally derived antigens, and it is likely that high levels of oestrogen associated with pregnancy contribute to this. Oestrogen is known to be associated with a Th-2 type immune response and downregulation of microglial activity, and has been shown to suppress extrinsic allergic encephalomyeltis (EAE), an animal model of MS.6 There has been particular interest in the immunosuppressive role of oestriol, an oestrogen produced by the fetal-placental unit and detected only during pregnancy. Oestriol levels appear to mirror most closely the reduction in relapse frequency seen during the third trimester of pregnancy, and there has already been a pilot study of estriol as a therapeutic agent in non-pregnant patients with MS that reported an 80% reduction in MRI disease activity over 6 months.7 A follow-on phase II/III clinical trial is currently under way of oestriol as add-on therapy to Copaxone in female MS patients. Unfortunately, the immunosuppressive oestrogen profile found in pregnancy does not appear to translate into a similar protective benefit in women with lower oestrogen levels seen outside pregnancy. Oestrogen levels in non-pregnant females appear associated with microglial upregulation and a less favourable Th-1 type immune response.8 There are a large number of other factors potentially linked with an immunosuppressive Th-2 associated immune response during pregnancy,9 10 an effect likely to be as beneficial to patients with other autoimmune diseases11 as it is to patients with MS.12 Of these factors, it is perhaps worth singling out the hormonal form of vitamin D, calcitriol. Calcitriol levels peak in the first trimester and fall rapidly postpartum, inversely reflecting MS disease activity. Outside pregnancy, low levels of vitamin D associated with reduced sun exposure with increasing latitude have been linked with MS susceptibility.13 The perceived immunosuppressive benefit of vitamin D has led to small pilot studies of vitamin D supplementation in patients with MS,14 though no firm conclusions regarding efficacy can yet be made. In summary, hormonal and cytokine changes during pregnancy appear linked with a Th-2 type immune state likely to be beneficial for patients with autoimmune inflammatory conditions such as MS. Further knowledge of the nature of this effect may provide insight into additional treatment strategies for patients with MS................................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Pregnancy And MS Research

Netrin-1 possible key to Multiple Sclerosis demyelination

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:14:00 EST

Scientists find key step in maintaining myelin. In a new study, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, and the Universit� de Montr�al have discovered an essential mechanism for the maintenance of the normal structure of myelin, the protective covering that insulates and supports nerve cells (neurons). Up until now, very little was known about myelin maintenance. This new information provides vital insight into diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other progressive demyelinating diseases in which myelin is destroyed, causing irreversible damage and disrupting the nerve cells' ability to transmit messages. The research, published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, is the first to identify a role for the protein netrin-1, previously characterised only in the developing nervous system, with this critical function in the adult nervous system. This research was funded by the MS Society of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Netrin-1, a protein deriving its name from the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, word for 'one who guides,' is known to guide and direct nerve cell axons to their targets. In the molecular biological studies conducted by the team, they found that blocking the function of netrin-1 and one of its receptors in adult neural tissue causes the disruption of myelin........... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Myelin Research

Intraspinal implant of mesenchymal stem cells may not heal the demyelinated spinal cord in Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:04:00 EST

Multiple sclerosis is a disease caused by the loss of the myelinated sheath surrounding the nerve fibers of the spinal cord. Therapeutic hope for curing multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases has included the possibility that stem cell transplants could help remyelinate the spinal cord. Accordingly, researchers from the University of Cambridge (UK) conducted experiments using animal models to see if the direct implantation of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (derived from a different rat's adult bone marrow, i.e. allogenic) into the demyelinated rat spinal cord would be therapeutic and remyelinate the damaged area. "MSCs are attractive candidates for cell-based therapies because of their ease of isolation, expansion and potential for autologous application," said Dr. David Hunt, of the Centre for Brain Repair at the University of Cambridge. "A number of in vitro and in vivo studies have reported that MSCs have differentiated into neuronal cells and Schwann cells as well as fat cells and bone cells. Our study showed that direct, intralesional injection of undifferentiated MSCs did not lead to remyelination. Once more, we found that the MSCs migrated into areas of normal tissue and were associated with axonal damage................" For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : Multiple Sclerosis Specific Stem Cell Research

Personal rehab helpful for multiple sclerosis

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:41:00 EST

Results of a study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry suggest that an individualised rehabilitation program effectively reduces disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). "Persons with MS are expected to have a normal lifespan and live for many decades with a range of problems," Dr. Fary Khan, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues write. In order to assess the effectiveness of patients, the researchers conducted a study with 101 patients who were randomly assigned to an individualised program or standard care. Patients in the treatment group received comprehensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation over 12 months, which included intensive treatment aimed at patient education, health promotion, bladder retraining, and mobilisation. Data from 98 patients were available for analysis. Significantly reduced disability was seen in the individualised rehab group. Compared with patients who received standard care, those given individualised rehab showed greater overall functional independence as well as specific improvements in walking and self care.................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Quality Of Life Research

Psychopathological and cognitive effects of therapeutic cannabinoids in Multiple Sclerosis

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:00:00 EST

OBJECTIVES: To study possible psychopathological symptoms and cognitive deficits, abuse induction, as well as general tolerability and effects on quality of life, fatigue and motor function in cannabis-na�ve patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with a free-dose cannabis plant extract (Sativex). METHODS: In an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group crossover trial, 17 cannabis-na�ve patients with MS were assessed at baseline and at the end of the cannabis and placebo phases of the trial (each of 3 weeks) by means of Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (of which 1 dimension is the Paced Auditory Serial Additional Test that was used to evaluate cognition), Visual Analogue Scale on health-related quality of life, Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29, and Fatigue Severity Scale. RESULTS: Postplacebo versus postcannabinoid scores showed that no significant differences could be detected on all the variables under study. A significant positive correlation was found between Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol blood levels and scores at the General Symptomatic Index and at the "interpersonal sensitivity," "aggressive behaviour," and "paranoiac tendencies" subscales of the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised. No serious adverse events, abuse tendencies, or direct withdrawal symptoms were reported. Increased desire for Sativex with secondary depression was reported in 1 subject. CONCLUSIONS: Cannabinoid treatment did not induce psychopathology and did not impair cognition in cannabis-na�ve patients with MS. However, the positive correlation between blood levels of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and psychopathological scores suggests that at dosages higher than those used in therapeutic settings, interpersonal sensitivity, aggressiveness, and paranoiac features might arise, although greater statistical power would be necessary to confirm this finding. Source: Pubmed - PMID: 18978501 (12/11/08)

Only half of patients with multiple sclerosis achieve and maintain response to interferon treatment

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:49:00 EST

Regular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations show that only about half of patients with multiple sclerosis achieve and sustain a response to treatment with interferon beta over three years, according to a study posted online today that will appear in the January 2009 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Before they develop symptoms of a relapse, patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) develop contrast-enhancing brain lesions that are visible on MRI, according to background information in the article. Worsening of the disease is presumed to follow these relapses. "Many clinical studies have demonstrated the ability of interferon beta to reduce contrast-enhancing lesions," the authors write. "However, little is known regarding the heterogeneity of the MRI response profiles between patients or within an individual patient over time." Annie W. Chiu, B.S., and colleagues at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Md., assessed 15 patients with MS who underwent monthly MRIs and clinical examinations during a six-month pretreatment phase and a 36-month treatment phase. During treatment, patients receive injections of 250 micrograms of interferon beta under the skin every other day. Eight patients (53.3 percent) achieved a 60 percent reduction in the number of lesions at each six-month period and were therefore classified as responders. Of the seven non-responders, three (20 percent) initially experienced a reduction in the total number of lesions but then did not experience further reductions, two (13.3 percent) never reached the 60 percent level of reduction and two (13.3 percent) failed to respond during the first six months but reached and maintained an optimal reduction in lesions of 60 percent or more thereafter. Three patients in the responder group and all seven patients in the non-responder group experienced at least one clinical exacerbation during the treatment phase.................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research

Neuron gene linked to multiple sclerosis

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:02:00 EST

A newly-discovered genetic flaw may lay the nervous system open to assault from the body's own immune system, leading to multiple sclerosis (MS). In MS, the immune system attacks myelin, the fatty sheath that protects the cells of the central nervous system. As a result, nerve signals get slowed or blocked, causing difficulties in movement and coordination, muscle weakness, cognitive impairment, slurred speech and vision problems. There is no known cure. Scientists have known for three decades that the disease has a genetic cause, but the mechanism has remained obscure. The new find -- the product of eight years' work -- is a variant of a gene known as KIF1B. Trolling through municipal and church records, a team led by Rogier Hintzen of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam found 26 MS patients in southern Holland who -- unbeknownst to them -- all had a common ancestor dating back to the early 18th century. The researchers then scanned each individual's genomes to see if they shared any genetic anomalies. "We found a peak in the KIF1B gene, which was very exciting because its function is well known and fits so well," said Hintzen......................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : MS and Genetics Research

MRI can now predict Multiple Sclerosis progression

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:54:00 EST

A new study published in Journal of Neuroimaging shows that MRI scans used on multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to determine if the disease has affected gray matter in the brain can identify those at-risk for progression of disability. MS affects approximately 400,000 people in the United States and as many as 2.5 million worldwide. It is the most common cause of progressive disability in young adults. While the cause of the disease remains unknown, it is characterized by damage to the covering over the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, or to the nerve fiber itself. In an attempt to understand the causes of disease progression, researchers at the Partners MS Center, led by Dr. Rohit Bakshi and his team, have developed new ways to detect gray matter damage.................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Medical Imaging

Multiple sclerosis research may speed up with new mouse model of disease

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:47:00 EST

A new study highlights the role of a charge-switching enzyme in nervous system deficits characteristic of multiple sclerosis and other related neurological illness. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of several diseases in which myelin - the insulator for electrical signaling in the nervous system - breaks down and causes severe deficits in brain and nerve function. Much like the rubber insulation on an electrical cord, myelin surrounds long projections from the body of a neuron, and allows signals to travel down the cell with speed and efficiency. Patients with MS and other "de-myelinating" diseases therefore suffer deficits in balance, coordination, and movement, as well as sensory disturbances, from the loss of this neuronal insulation. A major research initiative in treating these diseases is identifying the molecular factors and changes that lead to myelin breakdown. In a new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms a team of Canadian researchers report on a new mouse model of disease which will help in understanding how demyelination occurs....................................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Myelin Research

RNA-based biomarkers for Multiple Sclerosis to be studied

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:42:00 EST

Source MDx announced a partnership with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston to examine RNA-based biomarkers in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy control participants unaffected by the disease. The goal of the study is to identify diagnostic markers and to determine markers of active disease (relapses) or stable disease, along with response markers for currently available MS therapies. The study will utilize Source MDx's patented gene expression profiling for the identification and monitoring of MS. The lead investigators for the study are Phil De Jager, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard Medical School/Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics & Genomics, and David Hafler, M.D., Director of Molecular Immunology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Neurology of Harvard Medical School.................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Biomarkers For MS

Association of a history of varicella virus infection with multiple sclerosis

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:52:00 EST

Abstract Objective To analyze the association of a previous history of varicella virus infection with multiple sclerosis (MS) and its subtypes. Material and methods We performed a case-control study including 126 cases and 157 controls. Subjects were divided into subgroups according to MS subtype and the history of varicella virus infection along with other variables was assessed. Results History of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection was positive in 42% of controls and 66% of MS cases (p ≤ 0.001). Patients with a history of VZV infection had a threefold risk increase of having MS. Regarding MS subtypes, relapsing-remitting (RR) MS had four times the risk and secondary progressive had a threefold increase in risk when compared with control patients. Conclusions An association between varicella infection history and MS was found, particularly in the RR subtype. Mayela Rodr�guez-Violantea, Graciela Ordo�ezb, Jesus Ramirez Bermudezc, Julio Sotelob and Teresa Coronaa aNeurodegenerative Diseases Clinical Research Unit, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico City, Mexico bNeuroimmunology Unit, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico City, Mexico cDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico City, Mexico Source: Science Direct � 2008 Elsevier B.V. (03/11/08)

Interferon could be a key to preventing or treating Multiple Sclerosis

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:38:00 EST

Multiple sclerosis (MS) results when the body's own defense system attacks nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Now scientists led by John Russell, Ph.D., at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that interferon-gamma plays a deciding role in whether immune cells attack and injure the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) in mice. Interferon-gamma is an immune system protein that helps the body defend itself from invaders. In their latest research, which appeared in the October issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, the researchers show that interferon-gamma determined whether activated immune cells - previously primed to go after nerve cells - would actually cause nerve damage in experimental mice. The researchers found that in the cerebellums and brainstems of the mice, interferon-gamma was protective. However, in the spinal cord, interferon-gamma had the opposite effect, permitting nerve cell damage. "Some studies show that the most serious cases of MS in people occur when the immune system specifically targets the cerebellum, a part of the brain responsible for sensory perception, coordination and movement control," says Russell, professor of developmental biology. "Our study suggests that researchers need to look at the amount of interferon-gamma produced in the cerebellum and other brain regions in people with MS......................" For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Antibodies, B Cells,T-Cell Activation and Immune Response

BG-12 significantly reduced brain lesions in multiple sclerosis

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:30:00 EST

Biogen Idec announced the publication of Phase IIb data showing that a 240 mg three-times-daily dose of the company's novel oral compound, BG-12 (BG00012, dimethyl fumarate), reduced the number of new gadolinium enhancing (Gd+) lesions by 69 percent in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) when in comparison to therapy with placebo (p<0.0001). The data also showed a 53 percent reduction in the mean number of T1-hypointense lesions and a 44 percent reduction in cumulative new Gd+ lesions in patients treated with BG-12 in comparison to therapy with placebo. The presence of Gd+ lesions is thought to indicate continuing inflammatory activity within the central nervous system. T1-hypointense lesions are linked to significant breakdown and loss of brain tissue. An ad hoc analysis conducted during the study showed a decrease in the likelihood of Gd+ lesions evolving into T1-hypointense lesions (black holes), warranting further clinical study into the potential neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of BG-12. These results have been reported in the October 25th issue of The Lancet. BG-12 is the first compound that has been shown to activate the Nrf2 transcriptional pathway, which prior studies have shown defends against oxidative-stress induced neuronal death, protects the blood-brain barrier, and supports maintenance of myelin integrity in the central nervous system..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : BG-12

Tovaxin(R) demonstrates reduction in disability, relapse risk and myelin T-cell reactivity in patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:59:00 EST

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. announced additional positive data from the company's Phase IIb TERMS clinical trial (Tovaxin(R) for Early Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis). The latest analysis focused on a prospective group of patients (n=50) with an annualized relapse rate (ARR) of greater than 1 at study entry which is comparable to ARR baselines of patients in previous Tovaxin studies. These findings demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in disability as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) (p=0.045) for patients treated with Tovaxin as compared to those receiving placebo. In this group, 28.1 percent of patients treated with Tovaxin showed an improvement in EDSS as compared to only 5.6 percent in the placebo group. Additionally, there was an 88 percent reduction in the level of brain atrophy and a more than 20 percent reduction in the number of gadolinium (Gd) lesions progressing to black holes in the Tovaxin group, which may suggest a beneficial neuroprotective effect. Overall, the analysis shows that patients treated with Tovaxin demonstrated a benefit across all clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) endpoints (primary, secondary and tertiary) in this patient population. Immunology data also appears to support Tovaxin's mechanism of action, indicating that patients with less myelin T-cell reactivity have a lower risk of relapse. Additional quality of life measurements, such as the Timed 25 foot Walk, also showed a benefit for Tovaxin over placebo (0.14 vs. -0.02, as measured by respective Z scores).......... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Tovaxin

Campath may benefit Multiple Sclerosis patients

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:59:00 EST

Multiple Sclerosis patients have significant and sustained reduction in disability and risk of relapse on Alemtuzumab versus Rebif(R). Genzyme Corporation and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced study results showing that patients with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) taking once-yearly cycles of alemtuzumab reduced their risk of relapse by 74 percent and the risk of sustained accumulation of disability by 71 percent compared to patients treated with the active comparator Rebif� (high-dose interferon beta-1a). Importantly, the mean disability of patients on alemtuzumab improved from baseline, whereas the mean disability of those on Rebif worsened. The treatment benefits of alemtuzumab were sustained for at least three years, even though the majority of alemtuzumab-treated patients were last dosed two years earlier. These results come from the final three-year analysis of a Phase 2 clinical study (CAMMS223) reported in the Oct. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study involved 334 patients who had not previously been treated for their disease. "The alemtuzumab trial data continue to suggest a potentially new and exciting treatment for patients with early, active multiple sclerosis," says Alastair Compston, Professor of Neurology and the head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and the study's principal investigator. "This randomized study confirms findings from prior studies demonstrating that treatment with alemtuzumab can have a profound and durable impact on patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, including restoring some lost function in many patients................." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Campath

FTY720 Multiple Sclerosis therapy exerts differential effects on T cell subsets

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:19:00 EST

In this study the authors found changes in the T cells in the blood, a type of cell involved in the immune response, in people who received a new tablet medication called FTY720 which is under investigation in MS. BACKGROUND: The oral immunomodulator FTY720 has shown efficacy in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). FTY720 functionally antagonizes sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1P1) on T cells and consequently inhibits S1P/S1P1-dependent lymphocyte egress from secondary lymphoid organs. Little is known about the phenotype and function of T cells remaining in peripheral blood during long-term FTY720 treatment. METHODS: T cells from FTY720-treated, interferon-beta (IFNbeta)-treated and untreated patients with MS, and healthy donors (HD) were analyzed with respect to T cell subpopulation composition, proliferation, and cytokine production.

AV650 did not meet efficacy endpoints in Phase 2b clinical trial for spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:43:00 EST

Avigen, Inc announced that the top-line data from its Phase 2b study of AV650 (tolperisone HCl) for the treatment of spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) did not achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint of a reduction from baseline of patients' Ashworth scores as compared to placebo. The reduction of muscle spasm, a secondary endpoint, also failed to achieve statistical significance. There were no safety issues. The trial was adequately powered, and all statistical parameters were in line with expectations. "We are disappointed with the result of this trial," said Kenneth Chahine, Ph.D., J.D., Avigen's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We had hoped AV650 would become an important new treatment option for people in the United States who currently suffer from spasticity. While we will continue to review the additional data from the trial and consider further options, we are confident in the trial design and the quality of the top-line results................." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Possible Drugs For The Treatment Of MS Symptoms

Activists applaud Congress move to slate military funds for multiple sclerosis research

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:33:00 EST

For the first time, Congress has approved spending Defense Department money to research a possible link between multiple sclerosis and military service -- which could help pinpoint the cause of a disease striking 400,000 Americans. The $5 million allocation will be awarded competitively to researchers. "We are very, very happy," said Shawn O'Neail, vice president of federal government relations for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "This was the result of a grassroots movement across the country." National and local MS activists credited a 2007 Courier-Journal story with helping drive that movement and leading to the federal money. After the article detailed the potential MS-military connection, the disease was listed last fall as a research area eligible for Defense Department medical funding. And veterans began sharing their stories with lawmakers. "When you did the story, it hit everywhere. Next thing you know, I'm testifying before Congress," said Bob Wolz, of Rineyville, Ky., a 43-year-old Gulf War veteran with MS featured in the article. "It's amazing what we were able to achieve in such a short amount of time. Just to know all these folks came together and stormed Capitol Hill is gratifying." He's one of a growing number of Persian Gulf War veterans who have developed the chronic neurological disease, which suggests a link to toxic substances, such as chemicals used in weapons or smoke from oil well fires. There's no known cause yet for MS, but experts suspect a genetic susceptibility, combined with some sort of trigger -- long thought to be an infectious agent such as a virus. The disease -- which affects an estimated 4,500 people in Kentucky and southeastern Indiana -- occurs when a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses, is lost. "Gulf War data certainly increases one's concern that maybe there could be a toxic substance triggering MS," said Dr. John Richert, executive vice president for research and clinical programs for the MS Society..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Environmental Factors And MS Research

Increasing prevalence and incidence of Multiple Sclerosis in South East Wales

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:57:00 EST

Epidemiological studies of multiple sclerosis suggest a trend of increasing disease prevalence in susceptible populations. The reasons for this are unclear and may be the results of methodological differences between studies, incomplete ascertainment or advances in technologies that allow the increased identification of early or mild disease. In addition, direct comparison of cross-sectional prevalence estimates performed in different epochs in ethnically and geographically distinct populations may be inappropriate. Using detailed phenotypic information and standardised methodology we have resurveyed a geographically defined Welsh population after a significant interval, establishing contemporary prevalence rates and examining demographic and clinical data to determine causes of changing disease frequency............ For the full abstract please go to MSRC: About MS : The Geography Of Multiple Sclerosis

Hope for those with Multiple Sclerois and other neurological diseases

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EST

Researchers are developing a technique that bypasses spinal injuries and nerve damage and allows patients to once again directly control movement through thought. They believe the breakthrough could lead in 10 years to a dramatic improvement in the quality of life of paraplegics allowing them to carry out simple tasks like holding coffee cups and eventually even helping them to walk again. The new "neuroprosthetic device" involves placing implants in the brain which are connected to a computer which in turn is connected to limb muscles. The results may have promising implications for millions of people around the world affected by spinal cord injuries and neurological diseases............. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Technology

Bolder BioTechnology receives $1.6 million NIH grant to continue development of Multiple Sclerosis drug

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:30:00 EST

Bolder BioTechnology, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a $1.6 million Phase II Continuing Renewal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, entitled "Long-Acting Beta Interferon for Multiple Sclerosis", from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of The National Institutes of Health (NIH). Receipt of the entire grant award is contingent upon the achievement of certain research milestones. The new grant award will be used to perform preclinical studies required by the Food and Drug Administration for filing an Investigational New Drug application to begin testing our long-acting beta interferon analog in people. Recombinant beta interferon products have annual worldwide sales of approximately $5 billion, primarily from use of the drugs to treat Multiple Sclerosis...................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research

Allozyne poised to start clinical trials with improved Multiple Sclerosis treatment

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:19:00 EST

Allozyne will find out soon whether it has a disruptive technology for treating multiple sclerosis. The fledgling Seattle biotech company plans to start its first clinical trial within the next six months, which will give it an early glimpse into whether it can do something that giant companies have been unable to do. It plans to develop an MS drug that works better, lasts longer, has fewer side effects, and requires less-frequent injections than the current standard of care. Allozyne bears watching as one of the "graduates" of the Accelerator, the Seattle-based startup incubator affiliated with Leroy Hood's Institute for Systems Biology. Almost exactly a year ago, it raised $30 million from MPM Capital, OVP Venture Partners, Amgen Ventures, Arch Venture Partners, and Alexandria Real Estate Equities. While that deal was getting done, the venture capital backers recruited Meenu Chhabra from her no-doubt lucrative job as a top dealmaker at Switzerland-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis to be the founding CEO. Hood himself, MIT biologist Harvey Lodish, and Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless of the The Scripps Research Institute serve as scientific advisers, so this idea seems to have a little more shine to it than your average startup in town. The concept has major implications for patients. Without getting too deep into the science (more on that later), Allozyne thinks it has discovered an improved treatment for multiple sclerosis. It's a disease in which the immune system goes haywire, attacking nerve cells, and ultimately robbing patients of their vision, speech, and walking ability. More than 400,000 patients in the U.S. have this disease (including a disproportionate percentage in the Northwest). The staple drugs for these patients are from a class of drugs called interferon beta products, which tamp down the part of the immune system that attacks nerves. The drugs are marketed as Biogen Idec's Avonex, Merck KGaA's Rebif, and Bayer's Betaseron. These medicines are huge moneymakers, generating more than $3.5 billion a year in annual sales. But they are far from perfect. The drugs cause flu-like symptoms, have to be taken by injection at least once a week, and sometimes as often as daily, and don't stop the progressive decline patients have to endure. Allozyne's technology aims to be the first to enable what is known as "pegylation" of an interferon beta drug. That means scientists can attach a polymer that helps the drug remain stable for a longer period of time in the bloodstream to do its job. Instead of weekly injections, Allozyne thinks its candidate can be given every other week, or even once a month, Chhabra says. By avoiding the peaks and valleys in bloodstream concentration between injections, the drug might offer improved effectiveness at reducing brain lesions in MS patients, Chhabra says. "This can supplant interferon beta," Chhabra says..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Further Possible MS Drugs and Treatments

Sativex approved for Multiple Sclerosis in Canada

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:28:00 EST

GW Pharmaceuticals has become the first drug company to gain approval to launch a cannabis-based medicine for multiple sclerosis sufferers. The approval in Canada comes after six years of work for the company, which grows cannabis at a secret farm in southern England and turns it into an under-the-tongue spray, Sativex. And it marks a breakthrough for MS sufferers, who have long argued that cannabis relieves its symptoms, including pain and spasticity. The Canadian authorities will allow GW, through its marketing partner, the German drug giant Bayer, to sell Sativex as a prescription painkiller, provided the company does additional clinical trials of the medicine over the next five years. GW must confirm the results of the studies to date, which have been promising, Health Canada said. The drug has so far been turned down by regulators in the UK, who say GW has not proven to their satisfaction that Sativex is effective. Bayer will pay GW a �2m milestone as a result of Health Canada's approval................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Sativex

Response to immune protein determines pathology of multiple sclerosis

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:11:00 EST

New research may help reveal why different parts of the brain can come under attack in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). According to a new study in mice with an MS-like disease, the brain's response to a protein produced by invading T cells dictates whether it's the spinal cord or cerebellum that comes under fire. The study-from researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and Washington University in St. Louis-was published online on October 13th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. In most MS patients, the disease primarily affects the spinal cord and the white matter of the brain. But a small percentage of patients develop an atypical form of the disease, which primarily affects the cerebellum-the part of the brain that controls sensory perception and movement. For these patients, the disease tends to progress more rapidly and the prognosis is particularly bleak................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Antibodies, B Cells,T-Cell Activation and Immune Response

Multiple Sclerosis patients feel the benefits of vibration therapy trial

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:59:00 EST

A trial to determine the benefits of vibration therapy for Multiple Sclerosis sufferers is having an immediate impact on participants, one stating that she could feel her feet again, and another saying the treatment left her legs tingling and buzzing like they hadn't felt in years. Study supervisor Dr Steve Stannard says the trial was devised to see whether side-to-side alternating vibration therapy was able to assist MS sufferers, who often became unable to move their muscles normally due to damage caused in the central nervous system. "People with MS have a neural condition which means that their brain often can't generate enough neural input to have their muscles contract and move in a fully co-ordinated way," Dr Stannard says. "The vibration stimulus is thought to cause a reflex contraction of muscle so in MS patients this might be therapeutic - it's a way of side-stepping the brain and making the muscles contract....................." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Technology

Family caregiver quality of life in multiple sclerosis among Kuwaitis: a controlled study

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:55:00 EST

Research interest in the quality of life (QOL) of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been spurred by the need to broaden outcome measures. Far less of this interest has been directed at the family caregivers, who bear most of the burden of care. The objectives of the study were: First, to compare the subjective QOL of family caregivers of persons with relapsing remitting and progressive MS, with those of a matched general population sample and caregivers of diabetes and psychiatric patients. Second, to assess the relationship of QOL with caregiver attitudes to MS and patient's variables. Method: Consecutive MS clinic attendees were assessed with the 26 - item WHOQOL Instrument, and for depression and disability. Similarly, caregivers independently rated their own QOL as well as their impression of patients' QOL and attitudes to patients' illness............ For the full abstract please go to MSRC: Helpful Resources & Sites : Carers and Caring : Carer's News

High prevalence of multiple sclerosis in area investigated

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:31:00 EST

Researchers at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford already know two of the communities in the area they will cover in a new study have a high prevalence of multiple sclerosis. Paw Paw and Morrison were included in a 2003 study by the college of five small communities where residents had expressed concerns about perceived high rates of multiple sclerosis and arterial lateral sclerosis. Results of that study, published in July, listed cases in the two communities and Lewistown, in Fulton County, as highly elevated. Cases in the other two communities - Savanna and DePue - were found not to be elevated. "The prevalence of MS nationally is about one-tenth of 1 percent of the population," Joel Cowen, assistant dean for health systems research at the College of Medicine, said of the 2003 survey. "We were looking here at about two to three times that for our entire population." The new study, which has been soliciting participation by MS patients, covers 13 northwestern Illinois counties to determine if those counties have a higher prevalence of multiple sclerosis than other areas of the state..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Environmental Factors And MS Research

US veterans' Multiple Sclerosis study awaits President's sign-off

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:47:00 EST

The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2008, now awaiting President Bush's signature, contains a provision to determine whether veterans of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and of post-9/11 wars are at increased risk for multiple sclerosis. Senate Bill 3023 passed the House last month and was sent to the White House last Thursday. If passed, a wide ranging, comprehensive study of veterans of Desert Storm, and of those in current conflicts, would be conducted to examine incidents of multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders. A final version would be due New Year's Eve, 2012. The multiple sclerosis proviso is especially significant to Desert Storm veterans, who seem to suffer disproportionatlely from a variety of neurological illnesses linked in part to exposure to various toxins during their service. The measure would direct the secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department to contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies to study and identifying any increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis as a result of service in modern warfare after 1991. "Identify the incidence and prevalence of diagnosed neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and brain cancers, as well as central nervous system abnormalities that are difficult to precisely diagnose..." one element of the legislation says.

New blood test could help track progression of Multiple Sclerosis

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:53:00 EST

A new blood test has been developed that could help doctors track the progression of multiple sclerosis in patients, it has been revealed. Researchers with Glasgow Health Solutions described the test as a major breakthrough in the treatment of the disabling condition. The test will allow doctors to pinpoint when patients are about to enter the active phase of the neurological disease and treat the symptoms, according to head of the research lab Dr Thomas Gilhooly. He said: "This blood test offers fresh hope to MS sufferers as it can detect when a patient is entering the active phases of the disease. "It therefore could be a way of ensuring accurate and timely treatment of patients with the progressive forms of MS. "This has the potential to unlock treatment for this group of patients and massively improve their quality of life................." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Blood tests

Sativex spray considered for Multiple Sclerosis in New Zealand

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:52:00 EST

Cannabis products could soon be used legally for medical purposes in New Zealand, after an application by a leading drug company to market a liquid version for pain relief. Medsafe is considering whether to allow the marketing and sale of cannabis spray, Sativex, after an application from its British maker. It comes as the Government faces increasing pressure from some patients and scientists to legalise cannabis use to alleviate chronic pain for accident victims and some sufferers of multiple sclerosis and cancer. Cannabis is a class C drug and cannabis preparations are class B drugs, but the Medicines Act allows the drug to be used with ministerial approval. The Health Ministry said approval to use Sativex had been granted for three patients, and a further application was pending. The spray, which is administered under the tongue, was developed by British firm GW Pharmaceuticals for multiple sclerosis patients and has been legal in Canada since 2005. Rose Wall, the ministry's quality and safety manager, said the Medsafe application to market Sativex as a medicine was still being considered.................................. For the complete report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Sativex

Autologous stem-cell transplantation showing promise in neurodegenerative disease

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:45:00 EST

Autologous transplantation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been performed safely in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a phase 1/2 trial. This procedure is feasible, presenter Dimitrios Karussis, MD, neurologist-neuroimmunologist said. It's not science fiction. We have passed from theory and discussion about stem cells to action. The results were presented here at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis: 2008 Joint Meeting of the American, European, and Latin America Committees on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS, ECTRIMS, LACTRIMS). Enhancing Regeneration We do have good medications to stop inflammation [in neurodegenerative disease], but still we see that disability accumulates over time and irreversible damage occurs to the neurons and axons, Dr. Karussis said. In addition to immunomodulation, we need something that can help or enhance the regeneration mechanisms of the brain. Bone-marrow-derived MSCs have strong neurotrophic and immunomodulatory properties, the authors write, and have been shown to be beneficial in several experimental models of neurological diseases, including experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a model of MS. The ability to easily obtain MSCs from the patient, expand them in culture, and reintroduce them as an autologous graft, as well as the lack of risk for malignant transformation, make these cells excellent candidates for cell therapy, they write. Dr. Karussis and colleagues conducted a phase 1/2 trial in 19 patients with ALS and 15 with MS. The MS patients had progressive disease with accumulation of disability and had failed prior immunomodulatory therapy. Bone-marrow-derived MSCs were collected from the patients, cultured for 2 months, and then reinjected both intravenously and intrathecally. Patients received a mean of 64.4 million cells. After injection, the patients were followed up monthly for up to 25 months. Treatment was safe. By far the most common adverse effects were mild fever and headache, which generally started soon after the injection and resolved within 2 to 3 days. Injection-site reactions were mild, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed no unexpected pathologies............................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : Multiple Sclerosis Specific Stem Cell

Stem cell patent granted for activating myelin in Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:25:00 EST

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. has been issued Australian Patent No. 2003250697, entitled "Oligodendrocyte Production from Multipotent Neural Stem Cells". This patent covers methods of producing oligodendrocytes from neural stem cells using granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin 3 (IL-3), or interleukin 5 (IL-5), either in vivo or in cell culture, as well as oligodendrocyte compositions produced by such methods. This is the first patent to issue in this patent family. Dr. Alan Moore, President and CEO, commented as follows: "This technology adds to the depth of our patent portfolio by expanding the repertoire of pharmaceutical agents we can use to activate neural stem cells, in this case to produce oligodendrocytes. Neurodegenerative demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis are associated with loss of myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. Further, GM-CSF fits into our "repurposing" approach of using old drugs in new indications for expediting entry into the marketplace. Whether we develop this technology in-house or utilize it as an out-licensing opportunity, this patent adds to our arsenal of commercialization opportunities.........." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Stem Cell Research & Treatment : Multiple Sclerosis Specific Stem Cell Research

The impact of stressful life events on risk of relapse in women with multiple sclerosis

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:34:00 EST

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were first, to examine the general relation between stressful life events (SLEs) and clinical relapses in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and second, to investigate the relations of the specific stressor attributes of duration, type, and severity on MS exacerbations. METHODS: Twenty six ambulating women with relapsing-remitting MS were followed-up for a mean of 56.3weeks. Patients documented SLEs weekly in self report diaries which were then collected at regular pre-scheduled clinic visits every 4weeks. SLEs were classified as short-term if they had subjectively no lasting effect and long-term if they had a subjectively felt psychological impact that lasted at least 10-14days after the event. The severity of SLEs was determined using the Recent Life Change Questionnaire.

Possible fast-track Multiple Sclerosis test unveiled by Yorkshire team

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:38:00 EST

Testing for diseases including cancer and multiple sclerosis could soon be as simple as using a pregnancy test kit, Yorkshire scientists claim today. A team from Leeds University has developed technology that uses antibodies to detect biomarkers � molecules in the human body which are often a marker for disease � much faster than current testing methods. The technology could be used by doctors for more accurate referral to consultants and in hospitals for rapid diagnosis. Tests have shown that a wide range of substances can be detected using the approach including biomarkers in prostate and ovarian cancer, stroke, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and fungal infections.

Multiple sclerosis patients have higher spinal fluid levels of suspicious immune molecule

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:58:00 EST

A protein that helps keep immune cells quiet is more abundant in the spinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), further boosting suspicion that the protein, TREM-2, may be an important contributor to the disease. More of an immune-control protein might seem like a boon to MS sufferers, whose symptoms are caused by misdirected immune attacks on the protective lining that coats nerve cell branches. But researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found the extra TREM-2 was not in the right place to reduce aggression in immune cells, a revelation that could eventually lead scientists to new pharmaceutical targets for MS prevention. "Previously, TREM-2 had only been seen on the surface of immune cells; in the new study, we found it floating freely in spinal fluid," says lead author Laura Piccio, M.D., Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow. "This is only speculation for now, but these 'free agent' copies of TREM-2 could be making it harder for the TREM-2 that is attached to immune cells to keep the cells' aggressiveness under control............" For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Antibodies, B Cells,T-Cell Activation and Immune Response

Perceived needs and satisfaction with care in people with multiple sclerosis: a two-year prospective study

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:35:00 EST

Considering the costs of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is crucial that the health-related services supplied are in accordance with needs as they are perceived by people with MS (PwMS). Satisfaction with care is related to quality of care and can provide health care providers with the means for improvement. The aim was to explore the perceived needs and satisfaction with care amongst PwMS over a two-year period, also taking sex and disease severity into consideration.......... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Quality Of Life Research

Vitamin D Linked to Genetic, Environmental Risk for Multiple Sclerosis

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:55:00 EST

Results from a new study unite the genetic and environmental risks of multiple sclerosis in a disease-specific and gene-environment interaction. Presenting at the American Neurological Association 133rd Annual Meeting, researchers described a link between vitamin D and the pathogenesis of MS. "There's a connection between the 2 - no question about it," lead investigator George Ebers, MD, from the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom, told Medscape Neurology & Neurosurgery. "But exactly how it works is not clear yet." Asked to comment on the work, Emmanuelle Waubant, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco said, "MS is a very heterogeneous disease, and this is an interesting way to look at the factors that predispose people." She noted, "This study looks at the bigger picture and is the way things should be done. The data provide decent traction and it is an interesting result." Dr. Ebers and his team examined the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences predicted to respond to vitamin-D complexes................................ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : MS and Genetics Research

Novel mechanism to reduce nervous system inflammation identified

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:04:00 EST

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered a new way to limit inflammation caused by the activation of microglia - key immune cells in the brain. Although the role of such cells is to "clean up damage" after injury, they often worsen the damage by releasing toxic inflammatory factors. In the October issue of the journal Glia, now published online, the scientists say that the type of chemical they used to deactivate these cells could possibly be developed as a drug to treat a variety of acute and chronic disorders marked by brain cell damage - including stroke, head and spinal cord injury, and possibly Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. "Inflammation associated with the activation of microglial cells is an important factor that appears to contribute to tissue damage and disability in many of the important neurodegenerative disorders. By decreasing this inflammatory response, tissue loss after injury can be reduced. Thus, what we found in this study has important potential therapeutic implications for the treatment of a number of important neurological disorders," says the study's senior investigator, Alan I. Faden, M.D., a professor of neuroscience and director of the Laboratory for the Study of Central Nervous System Injury................................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Antibodies, B Cells,T-Cell Activation and Immune Response - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1100

European medicines agency recommends update of product information of Tysabri for Multiple Sclerosis

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:18:00 EST

The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended that the product information for Tysabri (natalizumab) be updated to further increase awareness about the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) who have been treated with the medicine. PML is a rare brain infection whose symptoms are similar to those of an MS attack. The CHMP's recommendation follows the reporting in July of two new cases of PML in patients who had been treated for MS with Tysabri alone for more than 12 months. Following a review of the available data, the Committee concluded that the benefits of Tysabri continue to outweigh its risks in the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS, but that the existing warning on the risk of PML should be strengthened to heighten patients' and prescribers' awareness about this rare but serious side effect........... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing News : TYSABRI� __________________

Glatiramer Acetate reduces relapses with lower cost in patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:57:00 EST

Glatiramer acetate decreases the chance of relapse in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and lowers medical costs compared with interferon beta-1b (IFN-B-1b), according to a retrospective analysis of data collected from a national commercial managed care database in the United States. The findings were presented at the American Neurological Association (ANA) 133rd Annual Meeting by Kenneth Johnson, MD, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. "These data come from managed care and practicing physicians' prescribing decisions nationwide, and the study was not funded by a pharmaceutical company," observed Dr. Johnson. The study compared 308 patients who were taking glatiramer acetate and 110 patients taking IFN-B-1b for 2 years who were in the i3 LabRx database from July 2001 to June 2006. Direct medical costs and the likelihood of relapse were determined using multivariate regression analyses. Relapse was defined as hospitalisation with MS or prescription of steroids within 7 days of an MS diagnosis. Medical costs included inpatient, outpatient, and prescription drug services........... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research : COPAXONE� Ongoing Research

Magnetic resonance imaging can predict who will develop Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:06:00 EST

Specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can predict which patients will develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to retrospective research presented at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (WCTRMS). The Betaferon/Betaseron in Newly Emerging MS for Initial Treatment (BENEFIT) study is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial that was carried out among 468 patients whose first clinical event suggestive of MS happened within 60 days of trial entry. The study found that treatment with interferon (INF) beta-1b 250 mcg prevented the onset of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) by 1 year. Patients in the BENEFIT study were assigned to either early treatment, which was IFN beta-1b from the start of the trial, or delayed treatment, which was initial placebo followed by IFN beta-1b therapy after conversion to CDMS or upon completing 2-year follow-up. Principal investigator Bastiaan Moraal, MD, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands, speaking at an oral session, said that this analysis examined radiological rather than clinical endpoints. "We were looking at which type of lesions measured at baseline would predict conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis or McDonald multiple sclerosis," said Dr. Moraal....................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Medical Imaging

Acute Multiple-Sclerosis relapses rarely result in permanent disability

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:19:00 EST

Acute relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) rarely lead to disability, according to a retrospective chart review presented here at the American Neurological Association (ANA) 133rd Annual Meeting. Loren Rolak, MD, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, Wisconsin, explained that many patients with MS fear they "might wake up paralyzed" from an acute relapse. To assess the likelihood of severe disability from an acute relapse, Dr. Rolak examined the clinical course of 1,078 patients with relapsing-remitting MS over the last 14 years from his own database of patients with MS treated at Marshfield Clinic. The patients in the database had a total of 2,587 attacks (mean of 2.4 attacks per patient, range: 1-14 attacks over 1-34 years). Only 7 of 1,078 patients (0.6%) had an attack that resulted in severe disability, defined as an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 6 or more sustained for longer than 6 months. Two of the 7 patients who had an attack that resulted in severe disability presented with an acute severe attack at the time of their diagnosis with MS. Of the remaining 5 patients, 2 were taking interferon beta-1b, which did not prevent the severe disability. The other 3 were not taking interferon or glatiramer-acetate therapy......... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : MS Knowledge : Relapses

No difference among disease-modifying drugs for the long-term Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:41:00 EST

The different disease-modifying drugs available on the market for treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) result in similar rates of disease relapse when examined over the long term, according to a retrospective chart review. Loren Rolak, MD, The Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, Wisconsin, presented the results of the study here on September 23 at the American Neurological Association (ANA) 133rd Annual Meeting. Dr. Rolak and colleagues reviewed the clinical course of 573 patients with relapsing-remitting MS treated with disease modifying agents at The Marshfield Clinic. They evaluated 176 patients for >5 years, 47 patients for >10 years, and 27 patients for >12 years. Results show that relapse rates (RR) were similar among the 4 disease-modifying therapies: 0.29 with glatiramer acetate subcutaneous (n = 224), 0.32 with beta interferon-1a intramuscular (n = 180), 0.30 with beta interferon -1a subcutaneous (n = 43), and 0.31 with beta interferon-1b subcutaneous (n = 126). There was no association between major histocompatibility complex class II DR beta 1 (HLA-DRB1) or nitric oxide synthase (NOS2A) genotypes and relapse rate among the different drugs..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research

Rebif(R) IMPROVE study meets its primary endpoint

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:52:00 EST

Merck Serono announced that the ongoing IMPROVE (Investigating MRI Parameters with Rebif imprOVEd formulation) study met its primary endpoint. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the new formulation of Rebif�, compared to placebo, in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and active disease by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the end of 16 weeks of treatment. The 16-week study results show that the mean number of combined unique active brain MRI lesions per patient was reduced by 69% in patients treated with the new formulation of Rebif� compared with those receiving placebo, a statistically significant result (p<0.001). "Patients who received Rebif� experienced far fewer new active brain MRI lesions than the placebo group after 16 weeks of treatment," said Dr. Mark Freedman, Professor of Neurology at the University of Ottawa, Director of the MS Research Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital, and an investigator of the IMPROVE trial. "These data demonstrate a significant effect of the new formulation of Rebif� on disease activity and provide further evidence of its benefit in treating patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis...................." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research : AVONEX� and REBIF�

Nanomachines with potential to help with Multiple Sclerosis

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:23:00 EST

A $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support research led by Rudy Diaz, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, to develop neural nanomachines. The grant is through the NIH EUREKA program, which is designed to fund projects exploring new frontiers in biomedical research. EUREKA is an acronym for Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration. Diaz, who also works in Arizona State University's Center for Nanophotonics, will team with professors Thomas Moore and Hao Yan in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to focus on assembling nanomachines designed to deliver electrical signals to neurons in the human body. "Once you have such capabilities, it has the potential for application in deep brain stimulation, the treatment of brain damage, or such things as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease," Diaz said. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Technology

Potential new therapeutic target for progressive Multiple Sclerosis indentified

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:31:00 EST

A new Mayo Clinic study has found that two particular enzymes were elevated in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The levels of these enzymes also were associated with the patients' levels of disability. These findings give researchers new hope in developing a therapy for patients with progressive MS. This study was presented at the American Neurological Association annual meeting in Salt Lake City on Sept. 23, 2008. Mayo Clinic provides care for nearly 2,500 patients with MS each year. MS is a disease of the central nervous system that includes the brain, spinal cord and nerves. MS is called a demyelinating disease because it results from damage to myelin, the insulating covering of nerves. It occurs most commonly in those between the ages of 20 and 40, and is the most frequent neurological disorder in young adults in North America and Europe. Approximately 330,000 people in the United States have MS. Symptoms include loss of muscle coordination, strength, vision, balance and cognition. In patients with progressive MS, these symptoms do not decrease in intensity, while patients with relapsing/remitting MS may experience partial or total recovery from symptoms. "The current MS therapies are most effective for relapsing/remitting MS, with fewer options for patients with progressive MS," says Isobel Scarisbrick, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist and a lead author of this study. "It's also sometimes difficult to diagnose which type of MS a patient has, and it's important to treat these patients differently." To help distinguish between the types of MS and identify a therapeutic target for progressive MS, Dr. Scarisbrick and a team of Mayo Clinic researchers studied five different Kallikreins, or secreted enzymes, in patients with MS. The team tested the level of each Kallikrein in the blood of 35 patients with MS and 62 healthy patients. They found that Kallikrein 1 and Kallikrein 6 were significantly elevated in patients with progressive MS. Additionally, the higher the level of Kallikrein 1, the higher the patient's level of disability, which was measured by expanded disability status score. The Mayo Clinic team also looked at the effects of these enzymes on neurons isolated from the brains of mice and found that both Kallikrein 1 and Kallikrein 6 caused significant loss of neurons and injury to axons....................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Biomarkers For MS

European network to investigate gene causing multiple sclerosis

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:26:00 EST

Ten research teams will investigate the genetic component of the multiple sclerosis' treatment, they will do it from the University of the Basque Country. The University of the Basque Country hosted a conference in which lecturers introduced the European scientific network that will look into the new customized treatments for multiple sclerosis. The talk took place at the so-called "Classrooms of the Experience" located at University's premises in the old part of Bilbao's city........................ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : MS and Genetics Research

Additional data released for second Phase III clinical trial of Fampridine-SR on walking ability in people with multiple sclerosis

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:32:00 EST

Acorda Therapeutics has announced additional data from its second Phase III clinical trial of Fampridine-SR on walking ability in people with multiple sclerosis. Previously, the company announced the trial met its primary endpoint with a significantly greater proportion of people taking Fampridine-SR having a consistent improvement in walking speed compared to people taking placebo (42.9% versus. 9.3%), as measured by the Timed 25-Foot Walk (p<0.001). The study also met its secondary outcome measure, leg strength, showing a statistically significant increase in the Fampridine-SR Timed Walk responders compared to placebo (p=0.028).......... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Fampridine-SR

ATL/TV1102 achieves primary endpoint in mid-stage study of relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:47:00 EST

ISIS Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Australia-based Antisense Therapeutics Ltd. said that the investigational multiple sclerosis drug ATL/TV1102 met the primary endpoint of a significant reduction in disease activity in patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, or RRMS, in a mid-stage trial. ATL/TV1102 is an antisense drug discovered by Isis Pharma and licensed to Antisense Therapeutics. It is an antisense inhibitor of CD49d, a subunit of Very Late Antigen 4 (VLA-4), which plays a key role in cell adhesion to vessel walls. VLA-4 blockade prevents activated lymphocytes from migrating into the CNS (central nervous system) and reduces disease activity in multiple sclerosis. The Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated ATL/TV1102 for its effectiveness in reducing multiple sclerosis - related brain lesions as detected by magnetic resonance images. The study was conducted on a total of 77 patients across six European countries................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Further Possible MS Drugs and Treatments

More patients with relapsing Multiple Sclerosis are disease-free with natalizumab

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:42:00 EST

Natalizumab (Tysabri) significantly increases the proportion of disease-free patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with placebo over 2 years, according to study results presented at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (WCTRMS). The study, led by Eva Havrdova, MD, General Teaching Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic, evaluated the effects of natalizumab on the proportion of MS patients who were disease free as measured by clinical and magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) outcomes in the phase III Natalizumab Safety and Efficacy in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (AFFIRM) study. The study randomised 627 patients to receive intravenous natalizumab 300 mg and 315 patients to placebo once every 4 weeks for up to 116 weeks. The post hoc analyses, presented by Dr. Havrdova and colleagues, found the proportion of disease-free patients was significantly higher in the natalizumab group compared with the placebo group................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research : TYSABRI� Ongoing Research

Glatiramer Acetate decreases severity of relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:30:00 EST

Glatiramer acetate has been shown to be efficacious in several outcomes among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) when a scale other than the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was used, according to research presented at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (WCTRMS). A study of 251 patients was presented by investigator Joseph Herbert, MD, New York University, New York, New York, who described the EDSS as not truly reflective of clinical patient outcomes. In the pivotal study, glatiramer acetate resulted in a 29% decrease in relapse rates compared with placebo. While patients treated glatiramer acetate did show improvement in their EDSS score, Dr. Herbert described the scale as an insufficiently sensitive measure of disease progression. In this study, Dr. Herbert employed a Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) algorithm that relates MS disability as measured by EDSS to disease duration from the time of first symptom..................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research : COPAXONE� Ongoing Research - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1767

Five-year data confirm that early treatment with Betaseron(R) at first sign of disease can delay progression to MS

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:13:00 EST

Data from its BENEFIT (BEtaseron in Newly Emerging multiple sclerosis For Initial Treatment) study confirm that early initiation of Betaseron(R) (interferon beta-1b) treatment in patients with a first event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) significantly delayed the onset of clinically-definite MS (CDMS) by 37 percent (p=0.003) and McDonald MS by 45 percent (p<0.0001) over five years compared to delayed treatment. The results confirm a continued benefit of initiating treatment with Betaseron shortly after the first event.(1) These five-year findings from the BENEFIT study were presented today at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (WCTRIMS). "The BENEFIT five-year results are the first and only prospectively planned data to confirm a continuous benefit over five years when treatment is initiated shortly after the earliest sign of MS," said Dr. Mark Freedman, Professor of Neurology at the University of Ottawa and investigator of the study. "These results confirm that treatment with Betaseron after the first MS event or attack can reduce the risk of developing MS over five years compared to delayed treatment..............." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research : BETASERON� (BETAFERON�)

Tysabri demonstrates sustained improvement in functional outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis patients in new study

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:08:00 EST

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc announced that a post-hoc analysis showed TYSABRI(R) (natalizumab) treatment increases the probability of achieving sustained improvement in physical disability over two years when compared to placebo. This post-hoc analysis provides the first evidence that TYSABRI is associated with a significant improvement in functional outcome, rather than only slowing or preventing progression of disability, in those living with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). These findings were derived from a subset analysis of the Phase III AFFIRM trial and were presented as a poster presentation at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in Montreal, Canada. "These results show that TYSABRI treated patients are significantly more likely to experience a sustained improvement in disability compared to placebo patients. This finding from a post-hoc analysis of the pivotal AFFIRM trial supports both the earlier findings from the AFFIRM trial that TYSABRI is associated with an improvement in quality of life as well as anecdotal evidence of recovery of function in some patients." said Frederick E. Munschauer, MD, Smith Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, State University of New York at Buffalo. "While, like TYSABRI, other therapies have shown a slowing of progression in disability, this analysis represents the first evidence supporting a sustained improvement in function associated with an approved disease modifying therapy.................." For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research : TYSABRI� Ongoing Research

Tovaxin, injectable multiple sclerosis treatment, fails to meet primary endpoint in a midstage study

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:23:00 EST

Opexa Therapeutics Inc. said its lead drug candidate aimed at treating multiple sclerosis failed to meet its main goal in a midstage study. Opexa said the results for Tovaxin showed a "positive trend" in reducing the annual relapse rate for multiple sclerosis patients, compared with placebo. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that results in physical and neurological damage. The company partially blamed the results on a higher number of brain lesions seen in Tovaxin patients before they started treatment, as compared with those on placebo, meaning they were more difficult to treat from the start of the study. Instead, the company focused on the drug's safety and tolerability in treating the condition. Patients taking Tovaxin had a 37 percent reduction in the relapse rate compared with placebo............ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Tovaxin - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1312

Tysabri - one PML patient deteriorates, one recovering

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:46:00 EST

One of two European patients, who developed a potentially deadly brain infection after taking the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, is deteriorating and likely to suffer brain damage, according to a researcher involved in their care. The other patient diagnosed with the infection in July is recovering, the researcher said. The drug, made by Biogen Idec Inc and Elan Corp, was temporarily withdrawn from the market in 2005 after being linked with three cases of an often lethal infection known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML. Due to its advantages over older MS treatments and patient willingness to take on the risks, Tysabri was reintroduced with stricter warnings in 2006. No new cases were reported until the end of July, when Biogen announced that two patients had developed the infection. Biogen said that no further new PML cases have been confirmed............... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing News : TYSABRI�

Pipex Pharmaceuticals' oral TRIMESTA Phase IIa clinical and preclinical findings presented at WCTRIMS

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST

Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its scientific collaborator has presented new findings from a phase IIa clinical trial results using estriol for the treatment of multiple sclerosis at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Meeting (ACTRIMS, ECTRIMS and LACTRIMS) in Montreal, Canada. Estriol is the active ingredient in TRIMESTA. In a presentation from the laboratory of Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, Professor of Neurology at UCLA, new findings were shown which demonstrated that estriol treatment decreases matrix metalloproteinase (MMP). MMP plays a crucial role in the migration of inflammatory cells into the CNS. Elevated levels of MMP-9 have been described in serum and CSF of multiple sclerosis patients, and they predict the occurrence of new active lesions on brain MRIs. This was demonstrated in both MS subjects treated with estriol in a pilot phase IIa clinical trial as well as in animals with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the MS animal model. The decrease in MMP-9 correlated with a decrease in enhancing lesions by MRI in MS, and with a decrease in inflammatory lesions by pathology in EAE, respectively.................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Trimesta (Oral Estriol)

Study confirms efficiency of Copaxone In Multiple Sclerosis treatment

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:05:00 EST

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. revealed that a prospective study on Copaxone or glatiramer acetate injection in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis confirmed the efficacy and safety of the drug. Results from the study reaffirmed the benefits of long-term, daily use of Copaxone for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and confirmed the safety profile of the therapy. Petach Tikva, Israel-based Teva presented the data from the study at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. Copaxone is indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in multiple sclerosis and is approved in 51 countries worldwide................................ For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs : Disease Modifying Drugs Ongoing Research : COPAXONE� Ongoing Research

Laquinimod shows significant and sustained impact on Multiple Sclerosis disease activity

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:08:00 EST

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said new data from the extension phase of oral laquinimod in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS, demonstrated a significant reduction in the mean number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions in both patients who switched from placebo to laquinimod and patients who continued with their initial laquinimod dose. Laquinimod is a novel once-daily, orally administered immunomodulatory compound that is being developed as a disease-modifying treatment for RRMS by Active Biotech, Sweden. Laquinimod is licensed to Teva Pharmaceutical. The reduction was significant for both patients switching to high-dose and low-dose laquinimod. In addition, the proportion of patients who switched to active treatment from placebo, and remained enhancing lesion-free, increased from 31% to 47%, further reinforcing the efficacy of laquinimod on Magnetic Resonance Imaging measured disease activity.......... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Laquinimod

Data from two-Year phase II MN-166 clinical trial in Multiple Sclerosis presented at WCTRIMS

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:15:00 EST

Data from the completed two-year Phase II clinical trial of orally administered MN-166 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) was presented in two poster presentations at the World Congress for Treatment and Research in MS being held in Montreal, Canada. The first presentation entitled "Clinical Effect of the Neuroprotectant MN-166 in Relapsing Forms of MS: Year 2 Data" (Poster 48), given by Dr. Richard Gammans, Chief Development Officer of MediciNova, reported that MN-166 treatment resulted in positive findings on three independent measures indicative of a potential disease-progression modifying effect. The poster can be accessed at: http://www.medicinova.com/MN-166-Relapsing-MS.html. The findings include: * Sustained disability progression was significantly less likely (by approximately 50 percent) in those patients receiving MN-166 at either 30 or 60 mg per day for 24 months than in those patients receiving the drug for 12 months (p=0.026). Sustained disability progression was measured as a greater than or equal to 1.0 point increase from baseline in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score for four consecutive months. This positive clinical finding was corroborated by positive findings on two separate radiologic measures. * The Phase II clinical trial demonstrated that the significant reduction in brain volume loss (p=0.035), as measured by cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, observed after 12 months in patients treated with 60 mg per day of MN-166 compared to placebo was again demonstrated in year two of the study. Brain volume loss was significantly less (p=0.030) in patients who received 60 mg per day of MN-166 for 24 months compared to the other treatment groups...................... For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : MN-166 (Ibudilast)

Unproven treatment "aids my Multiple Sclerosis"

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:19:00 EST

Two years ago, my alarm went at 7.30am, I threw back the covers, my upper body moved but the rest did not. I could not feel anything from the chest down, so I called work and said: "I'll probably be late in this morning". Shock I guess. Later that day, a spinal specialist was completely honest and said it was either a tumour or multiple sclerosis. Next came the MRI scan complete with a power cut, just when the "back-up" generator was elsewhere. Lying there, stuck in the machine, in darkness, I was hoping it would be MS rather than a tumour, as the odds seemed better. Two weeks later, I was diagnosed with MS aged 35. Initially I continued to work, but due to my daily symptoms I had to retire after an 18-year career. Searching for help I decided to find out how I could control my MS progression, as there is currently no cure. I spent hours on the internet, bought all the books, looked for specialists, alternative thoughts and different ways of managing my condition. One book stood out. It was slim (no waffle) and written by a man with MS, who is also a Professor of Emergency Medicine in Perth, Australia. Diagnosed nine years ago, aged 45, he, to this day, has managed to keep his condition remarkably under control and remains free of any further deterioration. Disheartened by the lack of alternative information and support here in the UK, I flew 11,000 miles to meet the author - Professor George Jelinek.................. For the full article please go to MSRC: MSRC Interactive : Help, Advice and Inspiration from people with MS : What Has Helped You : Diet : George Jelinek's Therapy

Worldwide Multiple Sclerosis survey seeks answers

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:30:00 EST

The number of people suffering from the neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS) worldwide could be far more than the estimated 1.3m, researchers say. A major new study into the disease has been launched by the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). They hope to answer key questions about MS, the cause of which is unclear. Governments are being urged to invest more in education and services to improve sufferers' quality of life...................... For the full report please go to MSRC: All About MS : The Geography Of Multiple Sclerosis

Initiation of the ORACLE MS trial to evaluate Cladribine tablets in patients at risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:57:00 EST

ORACLE MS Phase III Trial Will Assess Effectiveness of Cladribine Tablets in Preventing Conversion to Definite Multiple Sclerosis in Addition to the Fully Enrolled Phase III Pivotal Trial - the CLARITY Study - for Treatment of Relapsing Forms of Multiple Sclerosis Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today the initiation of a Phase III trial to evaluate the therapeutic effects of its proprietary oral formulation of cladribine (cladribine tablets) in patients at risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial, called ORACLE MS (ORAl CLadribine in Early MS) will evaluate the safety and efficacy of two dosage regimens of cladribine tablets versus placebo in the treatment of patients who have experienced a first clinical event suggestive of MS. Cladribine tablets are currently also being evaluated in a fully enrolled Phase III pivotal trial - the CLARITY(1) study - for treatment of relapsing forms of MS. As announced in January 2007, CLARITY was the first pivotal trial among all Phase III oral compounds in development for MS to complete enrollment. Cladribine tablets have been granted a fast track designation by the US Food and Drug Administration....................... For the full repport please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Cladribine (Mylinax)

Multiple sclerosis study confirms prevalence of the disease in Canada

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:36:00 EST

Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world and the country fails in providing adequate services for sufferers, a new study suggests. The global survey by the World Health Organization and the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation focuses on the prevalence of the disease in more than 100 countries representing almost 88 per cent of the world's population. The Atlas of Multiple Sclerosis was launched on Wednesday at the beginning of a four-day conference on the disease. The study said MS strikes 133 people out of every 100,000 in Canada, the fifth-highest rate among the nations surveyed between 2004 and 2007. Only in the United States, Germany, Norway and Hungary was the disease more prevalent...................... For the full report please go to MSRC: All About MS : The Geography Of Multiple Sclerosis

Treating Multiple Sclerosis with hormones

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:35:00 EST

Hormones increasingly are shown to affect brain functions, and now they may battle MS symptoms, too. When it comes to the brain, hormonal influences are the butt of many tactless jokes and at the heart of Rhonda Voskuhl's seminal findings regarding neurodegenerative disease and protection. Speeding down the length of the axon, nerve cell impulses, taking a fraction of a second to travel from head to toe, orchestrate choreographed muscle movements. This process is so in sync with our will that most of us can take our ability to walk, see and swallow for granted. But when it breaks down, as it does with the disease multiple sclerosis, unwieldy symptoms emerge. Paralysis, tingling, uncoordinated movements, blindness and cognitive defects are all symptoms that can coincide with MS - a disease affecting 2.5 million people worldwide. Nerves, normally insulated in white myelin, become demyelinated - exposed -the impulses sputter, dissipate and may never reach their destination. While the immediate cause, scar tissue (sclerosis), will show up in brain scans, the underlying issue is thought to arise from an immune system malfunction (relating to inflammation). But naturally, it's more complicated than that with environmental as well as hereditary factors as possible contributors to the disease. And, hormones have something to do with it, too. Research involving hormonal influences on the brain is the rage right now. Yet, while one study suggests hormone therapy in postmenopausal women is detrimental to cognition, another shows memory-enhancing properties in patients with the neurodegenerative brain disorder, Alzheimer's disease. And with regard to MS, the effects of hormones are largely anecdotal. These confounding reports make untangling the specific roles of hormones, and how they relate to disease, challenging.............. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : New Discoveries : Hormones And MS Research

REGARD study: Interferon beta vs glatiramer acetate in relapsing multiple sclerosis

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:58:00 EST

The REGARD ( Rebif vs Glatiramer Acetate in Relapsing MS Disease) study compared interferon beta-1a with glatiramer acetate, both of which are prescribed in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Patients with RRMS (diagnosed with the McDonald criteria), who had had at least one relapse within the previous 12 months were randomised to subcutaneous interferon beta-1a (44 mcg three times/week, n=386) or subcutaneous glatiramer acetate (20 mg/day, n= 378). The patients were followed for 96 weeks and observed for the primary endpoint, time to first relapse. The researchers found no difference between the two drugs for the primary endpoint (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.21; p=0.64). Relapse rates were lower than expected; 126 in the interferon group and 132 in the glatiramer group had one or more relapses. The researchers found that the overall number and severity of adverse events were similar between the treatments and were not an important cause for discontinuation of the trial. Source: The Lancet Neurology Early Online Publication (11/09/08)

Parent of origin in multiple sclerosis: Understanding inheritance in complex neurologic diseases

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:27:00 EST

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with a heterogenous phenotype resulting from interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. In this issue of Neurology�, Herrera et al.1 conclude that patients with MS who have unaffected parents have a higher number of maternal than paternal uncles or aunts with MS. This finding supports previous studies that have shown a parent-of-origin effect operating through the maternal lineage .2,3 Halfsibling pairs with MS who have unaffected parents were more likely to be related through their mothers than their fathers.2 In a Dutch multigenerational pedigree with a strong founder effect, the 24 patients with MS were more likely to be related to each other through a maternal lineage than a paternal lineage.3 However, when patients with MS with affected parents were studied, mother- child pairs with MS were less frequent than expected and father- child pairs with MS were more frequent than expected.4 In a population-based cohort, no parent-of-origin effect in transmission of disease from affected parent to offspring was observed.5 All of these studies attempted corrections for the known increased risk of MS in women.1-5 All are limited in that they fail to account for up to 10% of the biologically affected first-degree relatives with MRI activity in the absence of clinical disease (i.e.,asymptomatic MS)...............6 For the complete report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : MS and Genetics Research

EPO may prove useful in the treatment Multiple Sclerosis memory problems

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:58:00 EST

A drug used to increase blood production in both medical treatments and athletic doping scandals seems to also improve memory in those using it. New research published in BMC Biology says that the memory enhancing effects of erythropoietin (EPO) are not related to its effects on blood production but are due to direct influences on neurons in the brain. The findings may prove useful in the treatment of diseases affecting brain function, such as schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's. Patients given EPO to treat chronic kidney failure had been observed to have improved cognition after starting the drug. "These effects of EPO were thought to result from the blood-boosting effects of the drug," explains Hannelore Ehrenreich at the Max Planck Institute, "but the finding of receptors for EPO on nerve cells in the brain suggests that some other mechanism might be involved." To investigate the mechanisms of EPO-enhanced cognition, the researchers injected mice with EPO every other day for three weeks (11 doses) to test the effects of long-term exposure. After the treatment period, mice given EPO had better memory in some situations than did mice that had been given a placebo instead. The improvement in memory lasted up to three weeks from the last EPO dose and outlasted increased blood-cell production, but had disappeared by four weeks. Mice given three doses saw no benefit with respect to memory improvement.................. For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Cognition and Cognitive Issues Research