MS-UK Latest MS Research News

Immune cell activation in multiple sclerosis

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:33:00 EDT

New indicator molecules visualise the activation of auto-aggressive T cells in the body as never before.

Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to examine individual cells and their activity directly in the tissue. The development of new microscopes and fluorescent dyes in recent years has brought this scientific dream tantalisingly close...... Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/index.cfm/immunecells

New grant to fund multiple sclerosis trials, research

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:49:00 EDT

A new Commonwealth grant for researching multiple sclerosis (MS) is expected to advance existing research collaborations and enable new ones.....

XenoPort to drop multiple sclerosis drug after trial failure

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:08:00 EDT

XenoPort Inc said it will stop developing its experimental multiple sclerosis treatment after data from a late-stage trial showed the drug did not improve patients' condition significantly compared with a placebo.........

Scientists detect novel molecular target for multiple sclerosis

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:24:00 EDT

Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis (MS), UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved medications against MS.....

Mechanism found for Alemtuzumab side effect

Mon, 20 May 2013 04:57:00 EDT

Researchers think they may have figured out why a drug that is highly effective against one autoimmune disease can sometimes trigger another....

Blocking protein expression delays onset of multiple sclerosis in mice

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:44:00 EDT

Blocking the expression of just one protein in the brain delays the onset of paralysis in mice with a form of multiple sclerosis, say researchers at the School of Medicine.

Exactly why this happens is still unclear. It may be, in part, that blocking expression of the protein, SIRT1, enhances the production of cells that make the insulating myelin sheath necessary for the transmission of nerve signals. This myelin coating is damaged in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barre syndrome.......

Researchers make possible multiple sclerosis treatment breakthrough

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:16:00 EDT

A potential new treatment for multiple sclerosis lies within modified adult stem cells, University of Adelaide researchers say.<br><br>

The researchers are embarking on a new project which uses stem cells from fat tissue to send cells with special anti-inflammatory properties directly to the damaged site in the central nervous system...............

Peli1 identified as pivotal actor in animal model of multiple sclerosis

Tue, 07 May 2013 04:49:00 EDT

Scientists have identified an influential link in a chain of events that leads to autoimmune inflammation of the central nervous system in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS).......

Multiple Sclerosis more common in black women than white

Tue, 07 May 2013 04:27:00 EDT

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more common in black women than in white women, according a new study. The research was conducted by Kaiser Permanente and was published in the journal Neurology. The results contradict the widely believed notion that black people are less vulnerable to the disease........

Aubagio� delays onset of clinically definite multiple sclerosis, study

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:55:00 EDT

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today positive top-line results from the TOPIC trial for Aubagio (teriflunomide). The trial was designed to assess whether early initiation of Aubagio (teriflunomide) in patients who experienced their first neurological symptoms consistent with Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) can prevent or delay conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS).....

Ingredient in new MS drug, Tecfidera, linked to PML

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:24:00 EDT

The active ingredient in a drug that’s expected to become a popular treatment for multiple sclerosis has been linked to four European cases of a rare but sometimes fatal brain disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)........

Initiation of phase 1 trial of remyelinating antibody in people with multiple sclerosis announced

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:47:00 EDT

Mayo Clinic and Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the first clinical trial of rHIgM22, a remyelinating antibody being studied for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). This is a Phase 1 clinical trial enrolling people with MS to assess the safety and tolerability of rHIgM22. The study also includes several exploratory efficacy measures.......

Scientists find way to turn stem cells into brain cells

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:12:00 EDT

Scientists have discovered an antibody that can turn stem cells from a patient's bone marrow directly into brain cells, a potential breakthrough in the treatment of neurological diseases and injuries...........

Natural supplement combination appears to help multiple sclerosis

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:46:00 EDT

Multiple sclerosis is a challenging disease on many fronts, including the search for effective ways to treat and manage symptoms and relapse. Results of a novel trial using omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as vitamins, have shown some promise for people with multiple sclerosis.....

Atrophy in key region of brain associated with multiple sclerosis

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:02:00 EDT

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of atrophy in an important area of the brain are an accurate predictor of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. According to the researchers, these atrophy measurements offer an improvement over current methods for evaluating patients at risk for MS.......

US patent allowance for MS drug Sativex� formulation spray device

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:37:00 EDT

GW Pharmaceuticals plc has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Application Serial Number 13/606,742, a patent application directed to the spray device of its Sativex® product formulation.

A Notice of Allowance is issued after the USPTO makes a determination that a patent can be granted from an application..........

Alternative medicine use by MS patients mapped

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:30:00 EDT

A major Nordic research project involving researchers from the University of Copenhagen has, for the first time ever, mapped the use of alternative treatment among multiple sclerosis patients - knowledge which is important for patients with chronic disease and the way in which society meets them......

$18 million in new research projects launched to stop multiple sclerosis

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:42:00 EDT

The US National Multiple Sclerosis Society has committed another $18 million to support up to 65 new MS research projects. These new awards are part of a comprehensive research strategy aimed at stopping MS, restoring function that has been lost, and ending the disease forever...... Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/index.cfm/MSnews

Pain measurement study could help those with multiple sclerosis

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:43:00 EDT

MS pain is a pain most patients have a hard time describing. It can be described as a burning sensation, pins and needles or even like a toothache and it can be incredibly frustrating for both the sufferer and the doctor.

A team of researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder was able to look at a person’s brain and predict how much pain that person was feeling, resulting in what could create the first objective test for pain...........

Myelin regenerated in multiple sclerosis models

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:08:00 EDT

Ordinary skin cells have been directly converted into the myelinating cells destroyed in multiple sclerosis, according to two new papers in Nature Biotechnology......

Natalizumab treatment reduces fatigue in multiple sclerosis

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:53:00 EDT

Fatigue is a significant symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. First-generation disease modifying therapies (DMTs) are at best moderately effective to improve fatigue.

Observations from small cohorts have indicated that natalizumab, an antibody targeting VLA-4, may reduce MS-related fatigue. The TYNERGY study aimed to further evaluate the effects of natalizumab treatment on MS-related fatigue......

Study suggests babies' birth month may affect risk of multiple sclerosis

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:30:00 EDT

A study conducted in London found that babies born in May have significantly lower levels of vitamin D and a potentially greater risk for developing MS than babies born in November.

Multiple sclerosis is a disabling neurological condition that can lead to problems with vision, muscle control, hearing and memory.......

Amyloid-forming proteins may lead to therapies for MS and other neurodegenerative diseases

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:49:00 EDT

Amyloids - clumps of misfolded proteins found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders - are the quintessential bad boys of neurobiology.

They're thought to muck up the seamless workings of the neurons responsible for memory and movement, and researchers around the world have devoted themselves to devising ways of blocking their production or accumulation in humans.....

U.S. patent issued covering combination of estriol and Copaxone� for multiple sclerosis

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:18:00 EDT

Synthetic Biologics, Inc, a developer of synthetic biologics and innovative medicines for serious infections and diseases, announced today that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 8,372,826 entitled, Estriol Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis and Other Autoimmune Diseases, to the Regents of the University of California which includes claims to the use of the Company's drug candidate, Trimesta™ (oral estriol), in combination with glatiramer acetate injection (Copaxone®).

Copaxone® is the number one selling drug for multiple sclerosis with approximately $4 billion in annual sales. Currently marketed exclusively by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Copaxone® is expected to face generic competition as certain patent terms begin to expire in 2014.[1] Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Synthetic Biologics holds the exclusive worldwide license to U.S. Patent 8,372,826 and 6,936,599 and pending patents for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases covering the uses of its drug candidate, Trimesta™......

Efficacy and safety of daclizumab HYP in multiple sclerosis study results released

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:10:00 EDT

Biogen Idec announced that results from the daclizumab high-yield process (DAC HYP) SELECT clinical trial have been published as an online article in The Lancet.

SELECT was a Phase 2b study designed to determine the efficacy and safety of DAC HYP in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).....

Low body weight linked to PML risk with natalizumab in MS

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:53:00 EDT

An intriguing new study suggests that low body mass may be associated with an increased risk for developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in the setting of therapy with natalizumab (Tysabri, Biogen Idec) for multiple sclerosis (MS)........

Possible breakthrough in multiple sclerosis bone-marrow transplant study

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:57:00 EDT

A team of Ottawa doctors is preparing to publish a full report on its breakthrough multiple sclerosis treatment study that has so far eliminated the disease in those treated........................

Biogen prices Tecfidera below oral MS rival Gilenya

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 04:52:00 EDT

The highly anticipated number is in: Biogen Idec's newly approved Tecfidera has a wholesale price of $54,900 per year, the biotech giant revealed on Friday. With the U.S. market debut of the oral multiple sclerosis drug set for Monday, Biogen plans to hit the market for MS pills with a lower price than Novartis' Gilenya, which is arguably the company's top competition.............

FDA approves new oral multiple sclerosis drug, Tecfidera

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:38:00 EDT

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it approved a new drug from Biogen Idec to control multiple sclerosis in adults with hard-to-treat forms of the disease.

The twice-a-day capsules, called Tecfidera, offer a new option for multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease in which the body attacks its own nervous system. Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen Idec already sells two other drugs for the disease, but both require injections.......

Multiple Sclerosis, Other Autoimmune Diseases May Be Controlled By Hunger-Spiking Neurons

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:16:00 EDT

Neurons that control hunger in the central nervous system also regulate immune cell functions, implicating eating behavior as a defense against infections and autoimmune disease development, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found in a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Autoimmune diseases have been on a steady rise in the United States. These illnesses develop when the body's immune system turns on itself and begins attacking its own tissues. The interactions between different kinds of T cells are at the heart of fighting infections, but they have also been linked to autoimmune disorders........

Major Advance in Understanding Risky but Effective Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:42:00 EDT

Major Advance in Understanding Risky but Effective Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

A new study by multiple sclerosis researchers at three Canadian centres addresses why bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has positive results in patients with particularly aggressive forms of MS. The transplantation treatment, which is performed as part of a clinical trial and carries potentially serious risks, virtually stops all new relapsing activity as observed upon clinical examination and brain MRI scans. The study reveals how the immune system changes as a result of the transplantation. Specifically, a sub-set of T cells in the immune system known as Th17 cells, have a substantially diminished function following the treatment.......

Gilenya� Demonstrates Consistent Benefits In Reduction Of Relapses And Brain Volume Loss In Relapsing-Remitting MS

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:26:00 EDT

Data presented at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) show Gilenya® (fingolimod), the first and only once-daily oral therapy reimbursed to treat highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), significantly and consistently reduced the rate of brain volume loss and reduced relapse rates compared to interferon beta-1a IM or placebo.

The new data add to the growing body of evidence for fingolimod regarding its early efficacy benefits and long-term safety profile...............

MS researchers infect patients with hookworms

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:28:00 EDT

People with MS are taking part in a new research trial by being infected with hookworms.

Researchers at Nottingham's Queen Medical Centre are looking at how the worms can affect the immune system of people living with the illness......

Multiple Sclerosis Gene Mutations Were Originally a Positive Evolutionary Adaptation

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 05:40:00 EDT

Multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory diseases may result from mutated genes that were once positive evolutionary adaptations, says new research.

The new study lends credence to the hygiene hypothesis, with evidence that gene variants that put people at risk for inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis were the target of natural selection over many generations in early human history......

Aubagio (teriflunomide) and Tecfidera (BG-12) move closer to European approval

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:55:00 EDT

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued positive opinions on two new MS therapies. Recommending the granting of a marketing authorisation for the medicinal productTecfidera 120 mg and 240 mg, gastro-resistant hard capsules, intended for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis and Aubagio 14 mg film-coated tablet intended for the treatment of multiple sclerosis......

Oral Laquinimod for Multiple Sclerosis Passes Phase 3 Extension

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:07:00 EDT

Teva Pharmaceutical and Active Biotech announced top-line results from an open-label extension of the Phase 3 ALLEGRO study, which assessed the progression of disability and safety of oral laquinimod in early vs. delayed-start relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. Laquinimod is an oral, once-daily CNS-active immunomodulator with a novel mechanism of action being developed for the treatment of MS............

Atrophy of the thalamus is an important predictor of clinically definite MS, study shows

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 07:56:00 EDT

A growing body of research by multiple sclerosis (MS) investigators at the University at Buffalo and international partners is providing powerful new evidence that the brain’s gray matter reflects important changes in the disease that could allow clinicians to diagnose earlier and to better monitor and predict how the disease will progress....

Genzyme boasts of durable response to MS drug Lemtrada

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 06:13:00 EDT

Looking ahead to a prospective FDA approval of its experimental multiple sclerosis drug Lemtradaand a new product launch into a competitive and fast-changing market, Genzyme executives today rolled out positive data from a one-year extension study of its pivotal Phase III trial that gives the company some boasting rights for a drug that demonstrated a durable response in most patients........

Study shows how higher vitamin D changes genes to fight disease

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 05:33:00 EDT

Do you think you are getting enough vitamin D? New evidence shows for the first time, even if your level is not low, higher levels of the vitamin could have an important role for fighting heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases and infection. Research shows how vitamin D changes gene expression when levels in the bloodstream are higher to boost immune defenses.

Boosting levels of the so-called sunshine vitamin in the body could help fight a variety of diseases even for people whose vitamin D status is considered normal, according to the findings based from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM)........

Testosterone Affects MS Outcomes in Men

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:33:00 EDT

A higher testosterone level was associated with less disability and better cognitive outcomes in patients with recent-onset relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, researchers reported here.

Male MS patients had a significant negative association between testosterone levels and leptin (R=-0.22, P=0.029), as well as between androgen index and vitamin D (R=-0.248, P=0.012), according to Riley Bove, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., and colleagues..........

Cognitive impairment differs between primary progressive and relapsing-remitting MS

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:22:00 EDT

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To characterize the cognitive abilities of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) compared with healthy controls (HCs) matched for age, sex, and education level while considering the different characteristics of PPMS and RRMS and to compare the cognitive patterns of these types of multiple sclerosis...........

Oral MS drug, Gilenya, Slowed Brain Loss in Study

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:42:00 EDT

Novartis AG said its Gilenya drug to treat multiple sclerosis helped slow brain loss, a measure linked to the severity of the disease.

Patients taking Gilenya in three large Novartis-led studies lost a third less brain volume than patients taking either a placebo or Biogen Idec Inc. Avonex, Novartis said in an e- mailed statement today......

Injectable MS drug, peginterferon beta-1a, cut relapse rate by 36 percent

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 03:35:00 EDT

Biogen Idec Inc said its experimental multiple sclerosis drug peginterferon beta-1a reduced the annual relapse rate of patients with multiple sclerosis by 36 percent when dosed once every two weeks.

The company, which presented its results at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting, said the drug reduced the proportion of patients who relapsed by 39 percent compared with patients who took a placebo............

Possible promising target for Multiple Sclerosis treatments

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 06:16:00 EDT

A team of basic and clinical scientists led by the University of Montreal Hospital* Research Centre’s (CRCHUM) Dr. Nathalie Arbour has opened the door to significantly improved treatments for the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In a study selected as among the top 10% most interesting articles published in the Journal of Immunology, the team identifies the elevated presence in MS patients of a type of white blood cell (CD4 T cell) that expresses NKG2C, a highly-toxic molecule harmful to brain tissues......

Sativex may be pulled in German price row

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:22:00 EDT

GW Pharmaceuticals and Almirall may stop selling the cannabis drug Sativex in Germany after health authorities refused to agree a price that the companies view as acceptable.

GW - which developed the under-the-tongue spray as a treatment for spasticity in multiple sclerosis - said on Tuesday the German authorities had determined a price that was significantly lower than in other European countries.

"Our partners, Almirall, consider the German price to be unacceptable and plan to take all necessary steps to challenge the decision, which may include suspension or withdrawal of supply in Germany, whilst they pursue a reasonable solution," GW said in a statement......

Patent granted for Multiple Sclerosis drug Tecfidera (BG-12) until 2028

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:47:00 EDT

Biogen Idec Inc announces it has been granted a new patent that will help protect the market exclusivity of its multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera (BG-12) until 2028.

The new patent covers the dosing regimen for Tecfidera of 480 milligrams a day............

New treatments could stop multiple sclerosis progression for the first time

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:56:00 EDT

Thanks to research on brains donated by MS patients, Imperial researchers have made major advances in efforts to understand and treat the disease.

Around 100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis and, while several treatments exist to treat early attacks, there is currently nothing to stop the disease from progressing. Over the last decade, Imperial scientists have contributed to major advances in our understanding of the condition by studying post-mortem brain tissue. Now they are taking new treatment strategies to patients for the first time.........

Antisense Therapeutics lowers costs for multiple sclerosis treatment support study

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:03:00 EDT

Antisense Therapeutics (ASX: ANP) has significantly lowered the costs associated with its planned chronic toxicology study of the drug ATL1102.

The company now expects the study, which will support a potential future phase IIb study of ATL1102 in multiple sclerosis patients, to cost less than A300,000 to complete.

Importantly, Antisense is able to fund the study without it having a material effect on cash flow forecasts which cover planned activities well into 2014.....

New Tysabri And Anti-JCV Antibody Stability Data Released

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:49:00 EDT

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc announced results from several studies of Tysabri(R) (natalizumab) that demonstrate its efficacy compared to other multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments, provide additional data supporting anti-JC virus (JCV) antibody status stability, and suggest better outcomes when progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is detected early. These data will be presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in San Diego.........

Casting light on multiple sclerosis heterogeneity: the role of HLA-DRB1 on spinal cord pathology

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:36:00 EDT

Clinical heterogeneity in multiple sclerosis is the rule. Evidence suggests that HLA-DRB1*15 may play a role in clinical outcome.

Spinal cord pathology is common and contributes significantly to disability in the disease.

The influence of HLA-DRB1*15 on multiple sclerosis spinal cord pathology is unknown............

Early Identification Of Disease Via New MRI Fingerprint Method

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:47:00 EDT

A new method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could routinely spot specific cancers, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and other maladies early, when they're most treatable, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center suggest in the journal Nature.

Each body tissue and disease has a unique fingerprint that can be used to quickly diagnose problems, the scientists say.............

MS patients did not benefit from CCSVI intervention, landmark pilot study of 'liberation treatment' finds

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EDT

The first controlled clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of interventional endovascular therapy on the symptoms and progression of multiple sclerosis has found that the intervention, sometimes called the “liberation treatment,” which has attracted intense interest in the global MS community, does not improve patient outcomes. In a few cases, the treatment made symptoms worse.

University at Buffalo researchers will present their results in an “Emerging Science” poster session March 20 at the annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in San Diego. They discuss the findings in this video: http://youtu.be/94gLM4QlU_A..................

A new computerised cognitive test for the detection of information processing speed impairment in multiple sclerosis

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 06:08:00 EDT

Summary: It is well known that cognitive impairment is a prominent feature of MS. Information processing speed (IPS) impairment is the most common cognitive alteration observed in patients with MS.

This research group looked at a new IPS test called the Computerised Speed Cognitive Test (CSCT), which can be easily administered in daily clinical practice for testing IPS impairment. A group of 60 RRMS, 41 PPMS and 415 healthy controls underwent an IPS battery, which included assessment of reaction times of subsets of the Test of Attentional Performance battery, a newly developed digit/symbol substitution task, and the CSCT.

The CSCT is made up of a key displayed on the upper part of the computer screen with a list of nine symbols, with a list of nine digits displayed under this. The sequence of symbols and digits of the key are automatically generated for each session of training and testing.

The CSCT had good reliability, with a weak practice effect at the 6-month time point. There was a strong correlation between the CSCT with the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and with other IPS tests in patients with MS. The CSCT had the best sensitivity for predicting IPS impairment and was one of the most accurate tests among the IPS battery. This test could be used as part of a larger neuropsychological battery, as well as by neurologists in everyday practice..............

White-matter lesions drive deep gray-matter atrophy in early multiple sclerosis: support from structural MRI

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:45:00 EDT

Summary: The researchers looked at the relationship between lesions within the cerebral white matter (WM) and atrophy within the deep grey matter (GM) in MS. In this cross-sectional study, they carried out a 3T MRI on 249 patients with clinically-isolated syndrome or RRMS and in 49 healthy controls. They looked for a spatial relationship between WM lesions and deep GM atrophy using WM lesion probability maps by voxel-wise multiple regressions, including four variables derived from regional deep GM atrophy.

The researchers found that WM lesions and deep grey matter atrophy are spatially related, with atrophy of each deep GM region explained by ipsilateral WM lesion probability. From this they hypothesise that WM lesions contribute to deep GM atrophy through axonal pathology......

Novartis To Present New Data On Multiple Sclerosis Treatment At AAN

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 03:22:00 EDT

Novartis AG said it will present new data on Multiple Sclerosis or MS treatment at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology or AAN.

It will highlight growing clinical trial and real-world experience with Gilenya (fingolimod), the first once-daily oral therapy approved to treat people with relapsing MS or RMS. Updates on studies of Gilenya in people with primary-progressive MS or PPMS and the investigational agent BAF312 (siponimod) in people with secondary-progressive MS or SPMS will also be communicated, the company said.......

Early Magnetic Resonance Detection of Natalizumab-Related Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy in a Patient with Multiple Sclerosis

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:12:00 EDT

Diagnosis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is usually based on the clinical presentation, on the demonstration of the brain lesions at the magnetic resonance imaging examination, and on the detection of the JC virus DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid with high sensitive polymerase chain reaction.

The role of magnetic resonance imaging specifically in natalizumab-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is strengthening, and it is gaining importance not only as an irreplaceable diagnostic tool but also as a surveillance and risk stratifying tool in treated patients....

Can hormone help treat multiple sclerosis long-term?

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 06:19:00 EDT

A new study suggests that treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) may be helpful for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well-controlled through their regular treatment. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.

The study involved 23 people with MS who were taking beta-interferon treatment and had at least one relapse or brain scan showing new disease activity within the previous year. They were considered to have "breakthrough" MS, which means that their treatment that had been working previously stopped being effective, leading to worsening disability and more frequent relapses, as well as increased evidence of disease activity on brain scans..........

Early Detection of MS Treatment Complication May Improve Survival

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:57:00 EDT

The drug natalizumab is effective for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but it increases the risk of a rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). A study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013, suggests that early detection of PML may help improve survival and disability levels.

The study examined 319 people with MS who were treated with natalizumab and diagnosed with PML. Because of the risk of PML, people taking natalizumab are monitored by their physicians for possible symptoms of the brain infection. The study compared people who had symptoms of PML at the time of diagnosis to people who had no symptoms of the infection, but who were diagnosed with the disease by brain scans and tests in the spinal fluid for the virus that causes the infection. The level of disability for the people in the study was assessed before the PML diagnosis, at the time of diagnosis, and again six months and one year after the diagnosis.............

Study Suggests Multiple sclerosis patients with cognitive problems have more brain damage

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:56:00 EDT

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have cognitive problems, or problems with memory, attention, and concentration, have more damage to areas of the brain involved in cognitive processes than people with MS who do not have cognitive problems, according to a study published in the March 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study used a type of MRI brain scan called diffusion tensor imaging along with regular MRI scans to compare brain measurements in 20 people with MS who had related cognitive problems, 35 people with MS who did not have cognitive problems and 30 healthy participants.........

Fog Lifting in MS Gender Enigma

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:32:00 EDT

Recent discoveries in the laboratory have provided strong clues to the reasons why multiple sclerosis now afflicts mainly women, two prominent MS researchers said.

Differences in how the female and male immune systems are "tuned" are the most striking among these findings, but not the only ones, according to Shannon Dunn, PhD, of the University of Toronto, and Lawrence Steinman, MD, of Stanford University, in a "Viewpoint" article published online in JAMA Neurology.

"These discoveries illuminate the pathogenesis of MS, with applications and benefits for both men and women," the authors wrote. "These breakthroughs potentially allow for the repurposing of certain approved drugs for potential use as treatments of MS............"

International Study: Excess Dietary Salt May Drive The Development Of Autoimmune Diseases

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:15:00 EDT

Increased dietary salt intake can induce a group of aggressive immune cells that are involved in triggering and sustaining autoimmune diseases. This is the result of a study conducted by Dr. Markus Kleinewietfeld, Prof. David Hafler (both Yale University, New Haven and the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, and Harvard University, USA), PD Dr. Ralf Linker (Dept. of Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen), Professor Jens Titze (Vanderbilt University and Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg, FAU, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) and Professor Dominik N. Muller (Experimental and Clinical Research Center, ECRC, a joint cooperation between the Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin, and the Charité - Universitatsmedizin Berlin and FAU) (Nature, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11868)*. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks healthy tissue instead of fighting pathogens......

Cerebrospinal fluid fetuin-A is a biomarker of active multiple sclerosis

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 06:55:00 EDT

Summary: In this study from the US, the researchers investigated if fetuin-A is an indicator of disease activity. Fetuin-A is a serum protein secreted mainly from the liver that functions in a wide variety of physiological and pathological processes. It has recently been identified as a potential biomarker in MS, with many functions, including a role in immune pathways.

The researchers found that fetuin-A levels were reduced in CSF one year post treatment with natalizumab. Interestingly, they found that 69% of natalizumab-treated patients overall had decreased fetuin-A levels, which correlates with the known response rate to natalizumab treatment. Fetuin-A was increased in demyelinating lesions and in grey matter within MS brain tissue. In EAE, they found fetuin-A was elevated in degenerating neurons around demyelinating lesions. Also, fetuin-A deficient mice demonstrated delayed onset and reduced severity of EAE symptoms.

Therefore, this study shows that CSF fetuin-A is a biomarker of disease activity and natalizumab response in MS. It raises the possibility that fetuin-A may play a role in the disease process but this needs to be investigated further.............

Macrophages in inflammatory multiple sclerosis lesions have an intermediate activation status

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:35:00 EDT

Macrophages play a dual role in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. They can exert neuroprotective and growth promoting effects but also contribute to tissue damage by production of inflammatory mediators.

The effector function of macrophages is determined by the way they are activated. Stimulation of monocyte-derived macrophages in vitro with interferon-gamma and lipopolysaccharide results in classically activated (CA/M1) macrophages, and activation with interleukin 4 induces alternatively activated (AA/M2) macrophages....................

Cancer drug may be a possible treatment for multiple sclerosis

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:51:00 EDT

A drug that is currently used for cancer can relieve and slow down the progression of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) in rats, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE. The discovery, which was made by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, might one day lead to better forms of treatment for patients with MS.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the spinal cord and brain, damaging nerve tissues to cause visual impairment, paralysis and other neurological disabilities. There are approximately 17,000 MS victims in Sweden, most of who develop the disease between the age of 20 and 40. The disease is currently incurable, and the treatments that are able to ameliorate the symptoms can have severe side effects.

"There is a particularly urgent need to find new, efficacious drugs with minimal adverse effects for patients with MS in the relapsing phase of the disease," says Assistant Professor Ingrid Nilsson at Karolinska Institute's Department of Medical Chemistry and Biophysics....

Assessing interactions between HLA-DRB1*15 and infectious mononucleosis on the risk of multiple sclerosis

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 04:38:00 EDT

Summary: This study from the UK looked at gene-environment interactions in MS.

The researchers looked at the interaction between HLA-DRB1*15 (DRB1-15) and history of infectious mononucleosis (IM). They found that individuals exposed to both factors were at an increased risk of disease. Both DRB1-15 and IM status were independent predictors of disease, while there interaction term was not, but interaction on an additive scale was evident.

Based on this, if the additive model is appropriate, the DRB1-15 and IM may be part of the causal process leading to MS. This study demonstrates the importance of reporting gene-environment interactions on both a multiplicative and additive scale.... Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/index.cfm/viralcauses

An assay to quantify species-specific anti-JC virus antibody levels in MS patients

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:48:00 EDT

Summary: This study looked at developing an assay for the reliable quantification of highly species-specific anti-JCV antibody levels and to compare the results with pre-existing data from the StratifyJCV® test.

The researchers tested the sera of 175 MS patients and matched non-MS-controls for anti-JCV antibodies using glutathione S-transferase-tagged-VP1 as antigen. In order to minimise the cross-reactivity between shared epitopes of JCV-VP1 and BKV-VP1, they pre-absorbed the sera with soluble heterologous VP1 in contrast to StratifyJCV® test as well as measuring the percentage of reduction in antibody reactivity by soluble JCV-VP1 relative to the reduced reactivity after pre-incubation with soluble BKV-VP1 fusion protein.

Results from this study showed good inter-assay agreement with StratifyJCV® test and strong correlation for antibody reactivity. This demonstrates reliable quantification of anti-JCV antibodies, which shows good agreement with results from StratifyJCV® test, which is a qualitative assay. This assay may be used as an additional tool for PML risk assessment...................

Tysabri may be an option for children with Multiple Sclerosis

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:32:00 EDT

Off-label treatment with natalizumab (Tysabri) for 20 children with severe multiple sclerosis reduced relapses and brain lesions seen on MRI scans, a retrospective analysis found.

The mean annualized relapse rate while on natalizumab in these patients was 0.4, compared with 3.77 before starting the drug (P<0.001), according to Barbara Kornek, MD, of Austria's Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues.

Also, new T2/fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) lesions declined from a mean of 7.8 before natalizumab to 0.5 on the drug (P=0.001), the researchers reported online in JAMA Neurology.

But the treatment was not without adverse events, Kornek and colleagues noted. Half the patients experienced some type of clinical event, including one case each of severe asthenia, laryngeal edema, and anaphylaxis. Two had recurrent infections, although it was not clear that natalizumab was responsible................

Natalizumab in pediatric multiple sclerosis: results of a cohort of 55 cases

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:47:00 EDT

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available on the use of natalizumab (NA) in pediatric multiple sclerosis (ped-MS) patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the long-term effects of NA in a large cohort of active ped-MS patients.

METHODS: Patients with definite ped-MS were treated with NA if in the previous year they had experienced at least two relapses or a severe relapse with incomplete recovery while on immunomodulating treatment, or at least two relapses and new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions regardless of any prior treatment................

Interdependence and contributions of sun exposure and vitamin D to MRI measures in MS

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:34:00 EDT

Summary: This study from the US looked at the relationship of sun exposure history, supplementation and environmental factors to vitamin D levels in multiple sclerosis patients and evaluated the associations between sun exposure and MRI measures.

264 MS patients underwent neurological and 3 T MRI examinations as well as blood tests to measure vitamin D metabolites using mass spectroscopy. Results showed that vitamin D supplementation, BMI, summer sun exposure and darker eye colour had the strongest associations with vitamin D metabolite levels in the MS group.

Interestingly, summer sun exposure was associated with increased grey matter volume (GMV) and whole brain volume (WBV) after correcting for EDSS in the MS group. Inclusion of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 levels did not substantially affect the positive associations of sun exposure with WBV and GMV in the MS group. Therefore, sun exposure may have direct effects on MRI measures of neurodegeneration in MS, independent of vitamin D............

Antisense Therapeutics granted U.S. patent for multiple sclerosis treatment ATL1102

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:53:00 EDT

Antisense Therapeutics has been granted a U.S. patent covering its ATL1102 drug in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

The patent extends coverage of the ATL1102 compound for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients until 2029 with the potential for up to a five year extension to 2034.

Antisense also has patent applications under examination in Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia.

Additional patent protection in relation to the antisense technology and manufacturing is also provided internationally for ATL1102 by Antisense's technology partner Isis Pharmaceuticals.

A previous phase two study has confirmed the drug's activity in potently suppressing brain lesions in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients.

MS Patient Dies from Anti-Drug Antibodies

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 07:03:00 EDT

A reaction to anti-natalizumab (Tysabri) antibodies appears to have killed a Swedish woman with multiple sclerosis who received the drug, researchers said.

Significant neurological abnormalities developed after she had received six infusions of natalizumab, and her doctors found that she had extremely high titers of antibodies against the drug, reported Anders Svenningsson, MD, PhD, of Umeå University in Sweden, and colleagues.

Seven months after starting on the drug, she was dead, the researchers wrote online in Neurology. Her physicians ruled out progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a known and frequently fatal side effect of natalizumab therapy.

Svenningsson and colleagues concluded that her death resulted from "rebound neuroinflammation as a result of the development of natalizumab anti-drug antibodies."

Study finds improvement with a new treatment option for disability in MS

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:18:00 EDT

Neurodegeneration is the main cause of permanent disability in MS and there are few treatment options. A new study from the University of Oxford has investigated whether amiloride, a drug that is already available for other conditions, might be able to limit neurodegeneration in people with primary progressive MS.

Amiloride works by blocking a potassium channel known as ASIC1, and is currently licenced for hypertension and congestive heart failure. The first stage of the study used post-mortem brain tissue taken from six people with primary progressive MS and compared this with brain tissue taken from people without the disease.

The researchers wanted to determine the level of activity of the potassium channel in the brain and specifically within chronic inactive MS lesions. They found that the potassium channel was more active in nerve fibres and myelin producing cells from people with MS. This meant that blocking the channels with amiloride might prevent damage in the brain.

Cells Forged from Human Skin Show Promise in Treating Multiple Sclerosis

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:34:00 EDT

A study out February 7 in the journal Cell Stem Cell shows that human brain cells created by reprogramming skin cells are highly effective in treating myelin disorders, a family of diseases that includes multiple sclerosis and rare childhood disorders called pediatric leukodystrophies.

The study is the first successful attempt to employ human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) to produce a population of cells that are critical to neural signaling in the brain. In this instance, the researchers utilized cells crafted from human skin and transplanted them into animal models of myelin disease.

"This study strongly supports the utility of hiPSCs as a feasible and effective source of cells to treat myelin disorders," said University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) neurologist Steven Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study. "In fact, it appears that cells derived from this source are at least as effective as those created using embryonic or tissue-specific stem cells."

Mental comorbidity and multiple sclerosis: validating administrative data to support population-based surveillance

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:47:00 EDT

Abstract (provisional)

Background
While mental comorbidity is considered common in multiple sclerosis (MS), its impact is poorly defined; methods are needed to support studies of mental comorbidity. We validated and applied administrative case definitions for any mental comorbidities in MS.

Methods
Using administrative health data we identified persons with MS and a matched general population cohort. Administrative case definitions for any mental comorbidity, any mood disorder, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were developed and validated against medical records using a a kappa statistic (k). Using these definitions we estimated the prevalence of these comorbidities in the study populations.

Finding challenges accepted view of MS: Unexpectedly, damaged nerve fibers survive

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:16:00 EDT

Multiple sclerosis, a brain disease that affects over 400,000 Americans, causes movement difficulties and many neurologic symptoms. MS has two key elements: The nerves that direct muscular movement lose their electrical insulation (the myelin sheath) and cannot transmit signals as effectively. And many of the long nerve fibers, called axons, degenerate.

Many scientists believe that axons are doomed once they lose the insulation, but a new study by graduate student Chelsey Smith and former undergraduate Elizabeth Cooksey in the Journal of Neuroscience shows axons can survive for long periods in rats even after losing myelin.

"This was the first study to demonstrate long-term axon survival after myelin deterioration," says senior author Ian Duncan, a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison..................

One in Three Children with MS has Cognitive Impairment

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 02:59:00 EDT

Data from the largest multicenter study accessing cognitive functioning in children with multiple sclerosis (MS) reveals that one-third of these patients have cognitive impairment, according to a research paper published in the Journal of Child Neurology. Led by Lauren B. Krupp, MD, Director of the Lourie Center for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis at Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital, the study indicates that patients experience a range of problems related to cognition.

In “Cognitive Impairment Occurs in Children and Adolescents with Multiple Sclerosis: Results from a United States Network,” Dr. Krupp and colleagues from Stony Brook and five other national Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence measured the cognitive functioning of 187 children and adolescents with MS, and 44 who experienced their first neurologic episode (clinically isolated syndrome) indicative of MS. They found that 35 percent of the patients with MS and 18 percent of those with clinically isolated syndrome met criteria for cognitive impairment. All patients were under age 18 with an average disease duration of about two years........................

Merck Serono and Opexa Therapeutics deal on MS treatment Tcelna�

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:06:00 EDT

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the execution of an agreement with Merck Serono, a division of Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, for the development and commercialization of Tcelna� (imilecleucel-T), a potential first-in-class personalized T-cell therapy for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). Tcelna (imilecleucel-T) is being developed by Opexa and currently is in a Phase IIb clinical trial in patients with Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS). Potential payments to Opexa from the option and license agreement could total $225 million based upon the successful development and commercialization of Tcelna for MS. Tcelna (imilecleucel-T) is being developed as a personalized therapy specifically tailored to each patient�s individual disease profile and has been evaluated in Phase I and II clinical studies in MS that included SPMS patients. Tcelna (imilecleucel-T) has received Fast Track Designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration as a potential treatment for SPMS..............

Positive results for peginterferon beta-1a in phase III trial

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 01:38:00 EDT

Biogen Idec say that results from a third clinical trial for a multiple sclerosis drug called peginterferon beta-1a show that the drug can be a potential treatment dosed every two weeks or every four weeks for relapsing-remitting forms of the disease.

The drug is a drug is a new molecular entity in which interferon beta-1a is pegylated to extend its half-life and prolong its exposure in the body, enabling study of a less frequent dosing schedule.

“If approved, peginterferon beta-1a will represent an innovation that offers patients a less frequent dosing schedule of no more than 26 doses annually, as well as a significant reduction in relapses and disability progression,” said Gilmore O’Neill, vice president of global neurology late stage clinical development at Biogen Idec.

The study, called Advance, included more than 1,500 patients with RRMS and was designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the drug compared to a placebo at one year. Results showed that when administered via subcutaneous injection, the drug demonstrated a significant reduction in annualized relapse rate at one year, officials said.... [Read More]

Stem Cell study offers hope to multiple sclerosis patients

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:03:00 EDT

Scientists in recent years have found a way to infuse stem cells into the brains of animals to repair damage to the central nervous system, offering some of the most encouraging news yet for multiple sclerosis patients.

Now, a key $12.1 million study soon will be under way in Buffalo and two other upstate medical centers that will for the first time begin to test the procedure in people.

The hope is that the stem cells will generate new myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds nerves like the insulation on a wire. Myelin is damaged in MS, leading to weak or lost signals between nerves. Eventually, the painful disease spreads in a slow, unpredictable path toward paralysis.

“This is a promising strategy. It has been extraordinarily effective in mice, and there is great hope the technique will be successful in people,” said Dr. Steven Goldman, co-principal investigator and co-director of the University of Rochester Center for Translational Neuromedicine.... [Read More]

MS study reveals how killer T cells learn to recognise nerve fibre insulators

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:47:00 EDT

Misguided killer T cells may be the missing link in sustained tissue damage in the brains and spines of people with multiple sclerosis, findings from the University of Washington reveal. Cytoxic T cells, also known as CD8+ T cells, are white blood cells that normally are in the body’s arsenal to fight disease.

Multiple sclerosis is characterized by inflamed lesions that damage the insulation surrounding nerve fibers and destroy the axons, electrical impulse conductors that look like long, branching projections. Affected nerves fail to transmit signals effectively.

Intriguingly, the UW study, published this week in Nature Immunology, also raises the possibility that misdirected killer T cells might at other times act protectively and not add to lesion formation. Instead they might retaliate against the cells that tried to make them mistake the wrappings around nerve endings as dangerous.... [Read More]

Identifying the molecular causes of vision loss in demyelinating disease

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 04:47:00 EDT

Demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), are frequently associated with the progressive loss of vision. The retinal nerve damage is thought to be caused by immune system-mediated inflammation; however, other demyelinating disorders, such as Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, do not involve the immune system, suggesting that there are other causes of retinal nerve damage.

Deimination is a protein modification that is altered in patients with MS and PMD. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Sanjoy Bhattacharya at the University of Miami investigated the role of deimination in retinal nerve damage in a mouse model of demyelinating disease (ND4 mice). ... [Read More]

Researchers identify immune cells that may contribute to the development of MS

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 02:55:00 EDT

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterised by the infiltration of the central nervous system (CNS) by immune cells.

A particular type of immune cell, Tc17, has been found in MS lesions in humans, but it is unclear what role these cells play in disease pathogenesis. In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Magdalena Huber at the University of Marburg in Germany used a mouse model of MS to determine the role of Tc17 cells.

They found that Tc17 cells help Th17 immune cells to invade the CNS by secreting the protein IL-17. Without Tc17 cells, the Th17 cells did not accumulate in the CNS, preventing the development of MS.... [Read More]

New eye scan found helpful in diagnosis of multiple sclerosis patients

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:12:00 EDT

A simple, non-invasive eye test could offer a way to measure how fast multiple sclerosis is progressing in a patient. The scan, known as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), takes just a few minutes per eye and can be performed at a GPs surgery.

Researchers from John Hopkins University performed scans on 164 M.S. patients, measuring the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye. It was determined that patients with thinning of the retina had both earlier and more active forms of the disease.

Fifty-nine of the patients showed no symptoms. All patients received exams for six months for around 21 months. They also gave them MRI brain scans once a year.... [Read More]

FDA clears startup's virtual trial for drug against multiple sclerosis

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 02:39:00 EDT

Transparency Life Sciences picked up a win for its bet on open innovation in transforming drug development. The FDA cleared the developer's IND application to study a generic hypertension drug for a new potential use in patients with multiple sclerosis, after the startup tapped crowdsourced input from experts and patients on aspects of the clinical trial.

The study not only used New York-based Transparency's web-based Protocol Builder software to gather ideas on the design of the Phase II effort, but the trial will also be partially virtual. After patients' initial visits to trial sites, the planned 12-month study is expected to use telemonitoring technology from Advanced Monitored Caregiving and other partners to track participants until their final checkups, COO Marc Foster explained to FierceBiotechIT.

With these outside-the-box strategies, Transparency aims to drive down the cost of clinical trials by at least 50%. This is a big goal and one not easily achieved industry-wide, and at first blush, the startup's bold idea might draw some healthy skepticism. As published in a Nature Reviews Drug Discovery article in March, the number of FDA approvals per billion dollars in research money spent has been steadily declining over the past 60 years or so. The authors dubbed this "Eroom's Law," which is Moore's Law spelled backwards. Transparency's Foster believes there is hope for reversing the troubling trend. ... [Read More]

New molecular test in clinical trials could help physicians identify MS earlier

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 02:54:00 EDT

About 2.5 Million people worldwide have multiple sclerosis, a chronic central nervous system disease that can cause blurred vision, poor coordination, slurred speech, numbness and paralysis, among other things.

Despite the serious symptoms, diagnosis is often tricky because symptoms vary and can be hard for physicians to interpret. Gaithersburg, Maryland company DioGenix Inc. started up in 2008 to commercialize work on a lab test that could improve the diagnostic process.

A 150-patient clinical trial has just begun enrolling, the trial will validate its test, MS Precise, for early identification and diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.... [Read More]

Lymphocyte clue to multiple sclerosis drug, Alemtuzumab response

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 01:22:00 EDT

Patients with rapid recovery of CD4-positive T cells after alemtuzumab treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) are at risk for disease progression or relapse, research suggests.

The difference was apparent from 3 months after treatment, implying the potential for individualized treatment protocols based on CD4+ counts, say lead researcher Neil Robertson (Cardiff University, UK) and colleagues.

"The association between disease activity and early lymphocyte recovery is not surprising, as MS is primarily a cell-mediated disorder," they write in Neurology. "However, this relationship has not been demonstrated in vivo before."

The researchers assessed 56 patients (40 women) given alemtuzumab 12 mg daily for 5 days to treat symptoms of MS. They observed an initial "profound depletion" of lymphocyte subsets, followed by gradual recovery.

CD19+ cells were the first to recover, reaching the 25th percentile of average pretreatment levels at 3-6 months after treatment. These were followed by CD8+ cells, which reached a similar level after 6-9 months.... [Read More]

Fatigue, emotional functioning, and executive dysfunction in pediatric MS.

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 05:59:00 EDT

Abstract
Objective: Fatigue, depression, anxiety, and executive dysfunction are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults. Existing research suggests similar problems in pediatric MS, but relationships between these variables have not been investigated. This study investigates the associations between executive functioning and fatigue, emotional functioning, age of onset, and disease duration in pediatric MS. ... [Read More]

Patients with MS have low levels of Egr2/3 protein in T lymphocytes

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:08:00 EDT

Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that two proteins which are believed to play a key role in controlling the body's immune response are found in lower levels in T lymphocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study found that MS patients' T lymphocytes - types of white blood cells which play an important role in the immune system - were defective at producing the proteins and that this was associated with increased levels of molecules which promote inflammation. The findings are reported in the Journal of Immunology-. The work follows on from a recent study published in the journal Immunity- in which the lead scientists first identified the two proteins - known as Egr2 and Egr3 - as being important in both protecting against the development of inflammatory autoimmune diseases, like MS and arthritis, and also in preventing chronic virus infections such as HIV and hepatitis... [Read More]

No strong evidence to back use of cannabis extract in Multiple Sclerosis

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:07:00 EDT

There is no strong evidence to back the use of cannabis extract in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), concludes a review of the available evidence on the first licensed preparation, published in the December issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).

Sativex, in the form of a mouth spray, contains the principal extracts—dronabinol and cannabidiol—found in the leaf and flower of the cannabis plant. It is the first cannabinoid preparation to be licensed for use in the treatment of muscle spasms in MS.

MS is estimated to affect around 100,000 people in the UK, and around one in every 1000 people will develop the condition in the UK.

An increase in muscle tone, or spasticity is a common symptom of the condition, causing involuntary spasms, immobility, disturbed sleep, and pain.

Complex combinations of drugs are sometimes needed to manage spasticity, but they don't work that well and have a range of unpleasant side effects.

Sativex is intended for use as a second line treatment in patients in whom these other options have failed. But the DTB review found that the trial data on which the success of Sativex is based, are limited.

Overall, the trials, on which the drug's approval was based, did show a small difference in the numbers of patients who in whom symptoms abated compared with those taking a dummy (placebo) preparation.... [Read More]

Multiple Sclerosis: World's highest rate in Orkney Islands

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 06:51:00 EDT

Scotland's Orkney Islands have the highest rate of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, according to a major new study.

Researchers said that the rate for probable or definite MS was now 402 per 100,000 people, up from a previous 309 per 100,000 which was recorded in 1974.

Teams at the universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen carried out the study.

They are now trying to work out why the figure in Orkney is so high, but believe genes could play a key role.

With MS, the protective layer around nerves, known as the myelin sheath, becomes damaged.

Messages from the brain to the rest of the body are disrupted, resulting in difficulty moving, muscle weakness and blurred vision.

There are many suspected risk factors, and the disease is known to be more common away from the equator.

MS affects about 100,000 people in the UK.

The new study found that one in 170 Orcadian women suffer from the condition.

The current figure for Orkney compares to 295 per 100,000 in Shetland and 229 per 100,000 in Aberdeen.... [Read More]

Impairment of JCV-specific T-cell response by corticotherapy: Effect on PML-IRIS management?

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:01:00 EDT

Summary: This study from Switzerland examined the net effects of corticosteroids (CS) on the virus-specific T-cell responses, especially JC virus, to determine the optimal timing of corticosteroid administration in patients with MS with natalizumab-caused progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy-immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (PML-IRIS).

The results showed that CS led T cells, either CD4+ or Cd8+, towards a less differentiated phenotype. There was a significant decrease in the proliferation of EBV-, influenza- and JCV-specific T–cell proliferation response upon CS treatment. CS significantly decreased the proliferation of all three virus-specific CD4+ T cells. CS also caused a significant decrease in cytokine production of CD8+ T cells only when these cells were stimulated by JCV, but not EBV or influenza.

Therefore, CS have a significant effect on the virus-specific T-cell response, in particular on JCV, and it is suggested that giving CS before there are signs of immune reconstitution, may be deleterious as such treatment may blunt the JCV-specific T-cell response, leading to the unopposed progression of PML with grim consequences.

When CS are considered, there is conclusive rational to give CS only when the patient shows the first clinical or MRI signs of IRIS. Studies directly addressing patients with MS with natalizumab-caused PML are warranted.... [Read More]

Preclinical results Of EntreMed�s 2ME2 for Multiple Sclerosis published

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 02:03:00 EDT

EntreMed, Inc. announced today that preclinical results for its compound 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2) were published on line in this week’s Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study was conducted at The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Hospital and was led by Tak W. Mak, Ph.D.

Tak W. Mak, Ph.D., Director, The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, commented on the study, “Multiple sclerosis (MS) is among the most common autoimmune disorders in the northern hemisphere. There exists significant unmet medical need for safe and effective drugs to treat MS. In this study, we demonstrated that 2ME2, an endogenous metabolite of estradiol, significantly inhibits lymphocyte activation and proliferation and dramatically suppresses development of experimental MS.

Our analysis of cellular signaling pathways further reveals that 2ME2 exerts a potent inhibition of Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT). By extension, the study provides for the first time a molecular rational for the use of 2ME2 as a tolerable oral immunomodulatory agent for autoimmune disorders such as MS. Other studies have shown that in humans, plasma levels of 2ME2 may increase dramatically during the last months of pregnancy, which intriguingly appears to correlate temporally with the remission of clinical symptoms reported in some pregnant MS and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We believe that 2ME2 may offer a safe and effective treatment for such autoimmune disorders.”... [Read More]

Scientists identify key biological mechanism in multiple sclerosis

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 01:55:00 EDT

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have defined for the first time a key underlying process implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS)—a disease that causes progressive and irreversible damage to nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This discovery offers new hope for the millions who suffer from this debilitating disease for which there is no cure.

Researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, have identified in animal models precisely how a protein that seeps from the blood into the brain sets off a response that, over time, causes the nerve cell damage that is a key indicator of MS. These findings, which are reported in the latest issue of Nature Communications, lay the groundwork for much-needed therapies to treat this disease.... [Read More]

Changes in nerve cells may contribute to the development of mental illness

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:43:00 EDT

Reduced production of myelin, a type of protective nerve fiber that is lost in diseases like multiple sclerosis, may also play a role in the development of mental illness, according to researchers at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The study is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Myelin is an insulating material that wraps around the axon, the threadlike part of a nerve cell through which the cell sends impulses to other nerve cells. New myelin is produced by nerve cells called oligodendrocytes both during development and in adulthood to repair damage in the brain of people with diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

A new study led by Patrizia Casaccia, MD, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience, Genetics and Genomics; and Neurology at Mount Sinai, determined that depriving mice of social contact reduced myelin production, demonstrating that the formation of new oligodendrocytes is affected by environmental changes. This research provides further support to earlier evidence of abnormal myelin in a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including autism, anxiety, schizophrenia and depression.... [Read More]

Combination of two pharmaceuticals may prove effective in the treatment of MS

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 04:30:00 EDT

A new substance class for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases now promises increased efficacy paired with fewer side effects.

To achieve this, a team of scientists under the leadership of Prof. Gunter Fischer (Max Planck Research Unit for Enzymology of Protein Folding, Halle/Saale, Germany) and Dr. Frank Striggow (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)) have combined two already approved pharmaceutical substances with each other using a chemical linker structure.

The objectives of this combination are to ensure maximum brain cell protection on the one hand and the suppression of unwanted side effects on the other.

The new class of substances has now been registered with the European Patent Office as the DZNE's first patent in the form of a joint patent application with the Max Planck Research Unit. "The patent approval process can take several years. During this phase we are planning to conclude the pre-clinical development. It is our aim to start with clinical research and development at the earliest possible time. Overall, we have identified substantial therapeutic potential as far as chronic and age-related neurodegenerative diseases are concerned," comments Dr. Frank Striggow. ... [Read More]

Genzyme blitzes Australian MS market with free oral drug teriflunomide

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 04:04:00 EDT

Drug company Genzyme has launched an aggressive campaign to get its new multiple sclerosis drug teriflunomide prescribed free of charge to patients, in a controversial patient familiarisation program announced the same day the medicine was licensed in Australia.

Each participating neurologist will be able to sign up 10 patients for the once-daily immune system pill, sold under the brand name Aubagio and intended for people with moderate to severe disease, a spokesman said – about 14,000 mainly young adult Australians.

Any patient prescribed the drug, which competes with interferons, could continue on it indefinitely while the company awaited a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidy ruling.

But Agnes Vitry, from the University of South Australia’s School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, said familiarisation programs were intended to pressure the government into unwarranted subsidies and could have “disastrous consequences”.... [Read More]

Inhibitor of myelin formation identified in the central nervous system

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 03:35:00 EDT

Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center have discovered another molecule that plays an important role in regulating myelin formation in the central nervous system.

Myelin promotes the conduction of nerve cell impulses by forming a sheath around their projections, the so-called axons, at specific locations - acting like the plastic insulation around a power cord. The research team, led by Dr. Robin White of the Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, recently published their findings in the prestigious journal EMBO reports. ... [Read More]

Elevated levels Of Vitamin D during pregnancy may prevent MS in mothers

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:25:00 EDT

High levels of Vitamin D in the blood could prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) in mothers, more so than in babies, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology.

Study author Jonatan Salzer, MD and neurologist at Umeå University Hospital says: "In our study, pregnant women and women in general had a lower risk for MS with higher levels of the vitamin, as expected. However, a mother's levels of vitamin D during early pregnancy did not have an effect on MS risk for her baby."

Previous research has told us that low levels of vitamin D decrease risk for developing diabetes. Low vitamin D levels are associated with clinically isolated syndrome, a precursor to MS, as well as the occurrence of a second episode and higher incidence of relapse.

Separate research also suggests that MS is not as prominent in sunnier countries, a possible explanation linking high vitamin D levels to less risk of developing MS. Vitamin D, made in the skin, regulates the immune system and therefore can be extremely helpful in easily treating MS, a condition where the immune system attacks the covering that protects nerve fibers because it recognizes it as foreign to the body.... [Read More]

Multiple sclerosis 'immune exchange' between brain and blood is uncovered

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 03:13:00 EDT

DNA sequences obtained from a handful of patients with multiple sclerosis at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center have revealed the existence of an "immune exchange" that allows the disease-causing cells to move in and out of the brain.

The cells in question, obtained from spinal fluid and blood samples, are called B cells, which normally help to clear foreign infections from the body but sometimes react strongly with the body itself. One of the current theories of multiple sclerosis, which strikes hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions more worldwide, holds that the disease manifests when self-reactive B cells in the brain become activated and cause inflammation there.

The apparent exchange of the cells between the brain and the blood may be a key to unlocking better treatments and diagnostics, because the activated B cells causing problems in the brain may be accessible when they move from the brain to the periphery.

"The hope is that if we can identify culprit B cells, using precise tools, we will be able to better diagnose multiple sclerosis and monitor disease activity. In addition, in ways that may have to be tailored for each patient, this may also allow us to develop therapies that directly target disease-causing B cells," said UCSF neurologist Hans Christian von Büdingen, MD, who led the research. ... [Read More]

Nanoparticles show potential for treating MS

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT

Researchers say they've been able to use nanoparticles to stop multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice that are bred to have the disease.

The particles are about 200 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. They are made from the same material that's used to create dissolving stitches.

When researchers attach specific proteins to the particles, they say they're able to teach the body not to attack its own tissues.

If the approach succeeds in human studies, it may one day lead to more targeted treatments not only for multiple sclerosis but also for other kinds of autoimmune disorders, including type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

The research is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Myelin Repair Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and the Australian government.... [Read More]