Demyelination News and Research

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A demyelinating disease is any disease of the nervous system in which the myelin sheath of neurons is damaged. This impairs the conduction of signals in the affected nerves, causing impairment in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions depending on which nerves are involved.

Blocking hyaluronidase activity can help repair brain damage associated with MS

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that blocking a certain enzyme in the brain can help repair the brain damage associated with multiple sclerosis and a range of other neurological disorders.

1 Nov 2012

Transplanted neural stem cells able to produce new myelin in children with PMD

A Phase I clinical trial led by investigators from the University of California, San Francisco and sponsored by Stem Cells Inc., showed that neural stem cells successfully engrafted into the brains of patients and appear to have produced myelin.

11 Oct 2012

Neuroprotective effects underpin fingolimod benefits in MS

Fingolimod therapy reduces inflammatory activity and tissue loss in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis, shows further analysis of the FREEDOMS trial.

10 Jul 2012

Data from Janssen’s SIMPONI Phase 3 study on ulcerative colitis

New study findings presented today show that subcutaneous induction regimens of the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapy SIMPONI (golimumab) induced clinical response in a majority of patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) who had previously failed or were intolerant to conventional agents.

22 May 2012

Antibody that neutralizes enzyme Kallikrein 6 staves off MS

Researchers studying multiple sclerosis(MS) have long been looking for the specific molecules in the body that cause lesions in myelin, the fatty, insulating cells that sheathe the nerves.

30 Apr 2012

Women with multiple pregnancies may have reduced risk of MS

Women who have multiple pregnancies may have a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to research published in the March 7, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 Mar 2012

Gene therapy to promote remyelination in mouse model of MS

Our bodies are full of tiny superheroes-antibodies that fight foreign invaders, cells that regenerate, and structures that ensure our systems run smoothly. One such structure is myelin-a material that forms a protective, insulating cape around the axons of our nerve cells so that they can send signals quickly and efficiently. But myelin, and the specialized cells called oligodendrocytes that make it, become damaged in demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), leaving neurons without their myelin sheaths.

10 Feb 2012

MS may progress from outermost layers of brain to its deep parts

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may progress from the outermost layers of the brain to its deep parts, and isn't always an "inside-out" process as previously thought, reported a new collaborative study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic.

8 Dec 2011

Study reveals mechanism of action of laquinimod in patients with RRMS

Laquinimod is an orally available synthetic compound that has been successfully evaluated in phase II/III clinical studies for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

6 Dec 2011

Active ingredient in saffron shows promise against MS

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered that an active ingredient in the Persian spice saffron may be a potential treatment for diseases involving neuroinflammation, such as multiple sclerosis.

5 Nov 2011

Preclinical data from Teva's COPAXONE study on multiple sclerosis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced preclinical data demonstrating reparative and neuroprotective effects of treatment with COPAXONE (glatiramer acetate injection) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) models.

21 Oct 2011

Oral laquinimod shows promise against multiple sclerosis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech today announced the presentation of Phase III clinical and pre-clinical data, which collectively demonstrate that once-daily oral laquinimod modulates the pathological processes of multiple sclerosis to impact disease activity, disability progression and brain volume loss.

19 Oct 2011

New imaging method could better assess extent of nerve damage

A new imaging technique could help doctors and researchers more accurately assess the extent of nerve damage and healing in a live patient. Researchers at Laval University in Qu-bec and Harvard Medical School in Boston aimed lasers at rats' damaged sciatic nerves to create images of the individual neurons' insulating sheath called myelin.

14 Sep 2011

Myelin regulates key protein involved in sending long-distance signals

The development of a new cell-culture system that mimics how specific nerve cell fibers in the brain become coated with protective myelin opens up new avenues of research about multiple sclerosis. Initial findings suggest that myelin regulates a key protein involved in sending long-distance signals.

22 Jul 2011

Meditation appears to change brain anatomy: Study

Two years ago, researchers at UCLA found that specific regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger and had more gray matter than the brains of individuals in a control group. This suggested that meditation may indeed be good for all of us since, alas, our brains shrink naturally with age.

15 Jul 2011

Nanoscopic findings may lead to new experimental methods for early multiple sclerosis diagnosis

Laboratory studies by chemical engineers at UC Santa Barbara may lead to new experimental methods for early detection and diagnosis -- and to possible treatments -- for pathological tissues that are precursors to multiple sclerosis and similar diseases.

24 May 2011

Teva presents new CNS products study data in RRMS, Parkinson's at AAN meeting

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that several new studies further support the efficacy and safety of the company's innovative central nervous system products.

12 Apr 2011

Positive results from laquinimod Phase III ALLEGRO study in multiple sclerosis to be presented at AAN

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech announced today results from the two-year Phase III ALLEGRO study of laquinimod, an oral, once-daily, investigational immunomodulator for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These data will be presented as late-breaking research at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

12 Apr 2011

Study identifies gene linked to higher risk of multiple sclerosis in children

Canadians have one of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the world with approximately 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Primarily striking in adulthood, physicians and researchers with the Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Diseases Network (CPDDN), a multi-institutional and multidisciplinary group, have found that MS is being increasingly diagnosed in children.

21 Mar 2011