Autoimmune disease may be linked to heightened dementia risk

BMJ: Autoimmune disease may be linked to a heightened risk of dementia, indicates a large long term study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Although significant, the extent of the association found was small, caution the researchers. But the findings are consistent with the theory that Alzheimer’s disease may have an autoimmune component, they point out. It has been suggested that autoimmune and inflammatory activity may have a role in the development of dementia. In a bid to try and quantify this further, the researchers drew on hospital admissions data, including day cases, from 1998 to 2012 for England.

Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Cell Death Agent a Potential Treatment for Vision Loss Associated with Multiple Sclerosis

Pennsylvania: A new therapeutic agent tested in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) produced anti-inflammatory activity and prevented loss of cells in the optic nerve, according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh-based Noveome Biotherapeutics. The research was conducted in the laboratory of Kenneth Shindler, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Ophthalmology and Neurology, and published in Scientific Reports. The team demonstrated the therapeutic potential of the agent, called ST266, for treating optic neuritis, inflammation that damages the optic nerve and is a common presenting feature of MS. About half of patients diagnosed with MS experience optic neuritis, which can cause mild to moderate permanent loss of vision, but rarely complete blindness. ST266 is a solution of molecules that stimulate paracrine signaling. This is one way in which cells “talk” to each other: One cell produces a chemical signal that induces changes in nearby cells.

Stem cell transplants may induce long-term remission of multiple sclerosi

NIH: New clinical trial results provide evidence that high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by transplantation of a person's own blood-forming stem cells can induce sustained remission of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system.

“...these five-year results suggest the promise of this treatment for inducing long-term, sustained remissions of poor-prognosis relapsing-remitting MS",Richard Nash, M.D., Principal Investigator,says.

An antibody-based drug for multiple sclerosis

Inserm has developed an antibody with potential therapeutic effects against multiple sclerosis. The study, directed by Fabian Docagne and published in Brain, paves the way for a new strategy to control the disease. Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system, particularly the brain and spinal cord. It is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults.
The disease is considered autoimmune since the immune system, which is there to protect the body from external assault, attacks its own constituents. The cells of the immune system, particularly the lymphocytes, bring about the destruction of the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects the extensions (axons) of the neurons. This demyelination, which marks the beginning of axon degeneration, disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses. Lesions in the form of “plaques” are dispersed over the brain and spinal cord. They cause symptoms that vary greatly from one individual to another.

Gaming camera could aid MS treatment

McGill: A commonly used device found in living rooms around the world could be a cheap and effective means of evaluating the walking difficulties of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The Microsoft Kinect is a 3D depth-sensing camera used in interactive video activities such as tennis and dancing. It can be hooked up to an Xbox gaming console or a Windows computer. A team of researchers led by McGill University postdoctoral fellow Farnood Gholami, supervised by Jozsef Kövecses from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Centre for Intelligent Machines, collaborated with Daria Trojan, a physiatrist in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery working at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, to test whether the Kinect could detect the differences in gait of MS patients compared to healthy individuals.

Brain cell death is a possible trigger of multiple sclerosis

Chicago: New study in mice finds the death of a specific class of brain cells triggers an MS-like immune response, which can be reversed by nanoparticle therapy. Multiple sclerosis (MS) may be triggered by the death of brain cells that make myelin, the insulation around nerve fibers, according to research on a novel mouse model developed by scientists from the University of Chicago and Northwestern Medicine. The death of these cells initiates an autoimmune response against myelin, the main characteristic of the disease, which leads to MS-like symptoms in mice.

Scientists Identified Cause of Movement, Balance Problems in Multiple Sclerosis (video)

Virginia: New research into the causes of the excessive inflammation that drives multiple sclerosis has identified a faulty “brake” within immune cells – a brake that should be controlling the inflammation. The study by neuroscientist John Lukens and his team sheds new light on many of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and suggests new pathways for therapies. 

 This points to a potential target for developing new therapies to treat multiple sclerosis and could have important implications for other autoimmune diseases, such as the colon disease colitis and the chronic skin condition atopic dermatitis, according to the University of Virginia neuroscientist who is the first author of the study.

Progressive multiple sclerosis: a success for MedDay

Brain and Spine Institute: MedDay, a biotechnology company centred on disorders of the nervous system and incubated at the Brain and Spine Institute – ICM, announced today that the main criterion of its pivotal clinical trial MS-SPI was attained. The trial tested the efficacy and the safety of MD1003, a highly concentrated, pharmaceutical quality biotin, taken at a dose of 300 mg per day to treat progressive multiple sclerosis. The main criterion of the study was the proportion of patients that showed improvement after nine months of treatment and confirmed after 1 year. The results will be presented for the first time during the plenary session on clinical trials, which will take place on Friday, April 24, at noon (local time) at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Washington D.D.

Many people with Multiple Sclerosis who could work and want to work are not doing so

Adelaide: The University of Adelaide is leading a world-first study into how to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) adapt, adjust and return to work.  Dr Diana Dorstyn, clinical psychologist and University of Adelaide researcher, says many people with MS who could work and want to work are not doing so because of misconceptions surrounding the illness and difficulties accessing available employment services. “MS affects over 23,000 Australians and symptoms vary considerably from person-to-person. Symptoms may occur in isolated attacks (relapsing forms) or worsen over time (progressive forms); however some individuals may have partial or complete recovery (remissions) between attacks,” says Dr Dorstyn.

Seeing MS: exposing the invisible disease

Deakin: Most symptoms of multiple sclerosis go unnoticed by everyone except the person living with them. One day they can alter your memory, the next your vision. Striking without warning and leaving no trace, they are invisible. The Seeing MS project invited nine photographers to depict each symptom in a single image, inspired by stories of those touched by the disease. With the Seeing MS app, everyone with a camera can uncover the unseen. Photo filters based on each symptom will allow you to see and share how MS affects those living with the disease.

Study Implicates New Gene in Multiple Sclerosis Disease Activity

Brigham: A new study led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) reports the discovery of a genetic variant that is associated with a patient’s likelihood of responding to interferon-beta, one of the medications used in treating multiple sclerosis (MS). Published in the Annals of Neurology on May 14, the study also presents evidence that the affected gene, SLC9A9, may have a broader role in regulating the development and activity of certain immune cells that play important roles in inflammatory diseases like MS.

Cytokine May Play a Major Role in Multiple Sclerosis

Jefferson: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by immune cells that activate a cascade of chemicals in the brain, attacking and degrading the insulation that keeps neuronal signals moving. These chemicals, called cytokines, drive the inflammation in the brain, attracting more immune cells, and causing the debilitating disease marked by loss of neurological function.  Researchers have long debated which cytokines drive the disease and which are merely accessory. Now, a study published online April 27th, in the Journal of Immunology, confirms that the cytokine GM-CSF (Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor) likely plays an important role in human disease and offers a new explanation for why the MS treatment interferon-Beta (INF-β) is often effective at reducing MS attacks.

Cytokine May Play a Major Role in Multiple Sclerosis

Jefferson: Researchers discover the role of a major cytokine in multiple sclerosis that could be a target for new therapy against the disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by immune cells that activate a cascade of chemicals in the brain, attacking and degrading the insulation that keeps neuronal signals moving. These chemicals, called cytokines, drive the inflammation in the brain, attracting more immune cells, and causing the debilitating disease marked by loss of neurological function.  Researchers have long debated which cytokines drive the disease and which are merely accessory. Now, a study published online April 27th, in the Journal of Immunology, confirms that the cytokine GM-CSF (Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor) likely plays an important role in human disease and offers a new explanation for why the MS treatment interferon-Beta (INF-β) is often effective at reducing MS attacks.

Drugs that activate brain stem cells may reverse multiple sclerosis

NIH: Two drugs already on the market — an antifungal and a steroid: miconazole and clobetasol — may potentially take on new roles as treatments for multiple sclerosis. According to a study published in Nature today, researchers discovered that these drugs may activate stem cells in the brain to stimulate myelin producing cells and repair white matter, which is damaged in multiple sclerosis. The study was partially funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Athlete’s foot cream miconazole and psoriasis cream clobetasol could also treat multiple sclerosis

NHS: "Two common drugs – one used for treating athlete's foot and another for alleviating eczema – may be useful therapies for multiple sclerosis," BBC News reports. The drugs have shown promise in lab and animal studies. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition caused by damage to myelin. Myelin is a protein that acts as a protective layer to individual nerve fibres. In this study researchers screened a number of drugs used for other conditions in the lab to see if any could produce mature cells to help replace damaged myelin. One of the chemicals they identified as promising in their screen was miconazole, which is the active ingredient in some types of antifungal creams used to treat athlete’s foot. They found that it increased the number of mature myelin-producing cells in the brains of baby mice. It also helped repair damaged myelin in a mouse model of MS, and this made the mice’s symptoms less severe. Clobetasol, a steroid cream used to treat psoriasis and eczema, also showed promise.

FDA approves first generic Copaxone to treat multiple sclerosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection), used to treat patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Sandoz has received FDA approval to market generic glatiramer acetate in a 20 mg/1 ml daily injection. “Health care professionals and patients can be assured that FDA-approved generic drugs have met the same rigorous standards of quality as the brand-name drug,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Before approving this generic product, given its complexity, we reviewed additional information to make sure that the generic product is as safe and effective as the brand name product.”

Telerehabilitation for persons with multiple sclerosis?

Cochrane: Does telerehabilitation achieve better outcomes in persons with multiple sclerosis compared with traditional face-to-face intervention? What types of telerehabilitation interventions are effective, in which setting and influence which specific outcomes?

MS patients could benefit from brain study

Edinburgh: Multiple sclerosis patients could one day benefit from treatments that boost their brain function, University research shows. Increasing the activity of neurons could be beneficial in people with the disease. It could stimulate the production of a substance that protects nerve fibres. The finding could pave the way for new treatments.

Blood pressure drug protects against symptoms of multiple sclerosis in animal models

Chicago: An FDA-approved drug for high blood pressure, guanabenz, prevents myelin loss and alleviates clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in animal models, according to a new study. The drug appears to enhance an innate cellular mechanism that protects myelin-producing cells against inflammatory stress. These findings point to promising avenues for the development of new therapeutics against MS, report scientists from the University of Chicago in Nature Communications on Mar. 13.

New anti-inflammatory molecule could halt Multiple Sclerosis progression

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have developed a new drug-like molecule that can halt inflammation and has shown promise in preventing the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). They developed the molecule to inhibit a key signal that triggers inflammation.