Myasthenia Gravis News and Research

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Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Muscles that control eye and eyelid movements, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing are often, but not always, involved. The muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements may also be affected. Myasthenia gravis is caused by a defect in the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles. Normally when impulses travel down the nerve, the nerve endings release a neurotransmitter substance called acetylcholine. In myasthenia gravis, antibodies produced by the body's own immune system block, alter, or destroy the receptors for acetylcholine. The first noticeable symptoms of myasthenia gravis may be weakness of the eye muscles, difficulty in swallowing, or slurred speech. Symptoms vary in type and severity. Myasthenia gravis is not directly inherited nor is it contagious.

Mount Sinai researchers present landmark studies at AATS meeting

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers presented several landmark studies at the 2015 American Association for Thoracic Surgery meeting in Seattle.

5 May 2015

Wimpy antibody prevents more serious self-inflicted forms of kidney disease, researchers say

An antibody abundant in mice and previously thought to offer poor assistance in fighting against infection may actually play a key role in keeping immune responses in check and preventing more serious self-inflicted forms of kidney disease, researchers say.

3 Nov 2014

Study: Vitamin D deficiency more prevalent in neuromuscular conditions

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine adds more credence to a growing awareness of the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in neuromuscular disease.

31 Oct 2014

Researchers develop potential fast-acting "vaccine" for myasthenia gravis

Nearly 60,000 Americans suffer from myasthenia gravis (MG), a non-inherited autoimmune form of muscle weakness. The disease has no cure, and the primary treatments are nonspecific immunosuppressants and inhibitors of the enzyme cholinesterase.

8 Oct 2014

Protein once seen as promising anti-cancer compound helps to stabilize neural circuits

Researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered that endostatin, a protein that once aroused intense interest as a possible cancer treatment, plays a key role in the stable functioning of the nervous system.

25 Jul 2014

Immune system play role in memory impairment associated with chronic epilepsy

Could the body's own immune system play a role in memory impairment and cognitive dysfunction associated with conditions like chronic epilepsy, Alzheimer's dementia and concussions? Cleveland Clinic researchers believe so, based on a study published online by PLOS ONE.

25 Jul 2014

Autoimmune diseases share certain pathogenic mechanisms with cancer

Autoimmune disorders may share certain pathogenic mechanisms with cancer, according to a new report by George Washington University researcher Linda Kusner, Ph.D., published in PLOS ONE on July 22.

23 Jul 2014

Researchers collaborate to tackle rare diseases

Support from a network of leading researchers across Europe specialised in a rare auto-immune disease with unmet medical needs could help test several novel treatments

22 Jul 2014

Alexion announces that FDA grants ODD to Soliris for Myasthenia Gravis treatment

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ALXN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation (ODD) to Soliris® (eculizumab) for the treatment of patients with Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a rare, debilitating neurologic disorder caused by uncontrolled complement activation.

17 Jun 2014

Alnylam announces new pre-clinical results with DC for ALN-CC5 to treat complement-mediated diseases

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today new pre-clinical results with its Development Candidate (DC) for ALN-CC5, a subcutaneously administered investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting complement component C5 in development for the treatment of complement-mediated diseases.

10 Jun 2014

Autoimmune epilepsy diagnostics: an interview with Dr. Joseph J. Higgins, Medical Director, Neurology, Athena Diagnostics, a business of Quest Diagnostics

Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders often characterized by seizures and cognitive impairment due to electrical disturbances in the brain.

From Quest Diagnostics 14 May 2014

Bristol-Myers Squibb to present new immunotherapy study data at ASCO Annual Meeting

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that new data from studies investigating its immunotherapies in adjuvant and advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) will be presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago from May 30-June 3.

6 May 2014

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories launches Moxifloxacin Hydrochloride Tablets

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. announced today that it has launched Moxifloxacin Hydrochloride Tablets, 400 mg, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Avelox (moxifloxacin HCl) tablets 400 mg in the US market on March 04, 2014, following the approval by the United States Food & Drug Administration.

5 Mar 2014

Alexion Pharmaceuticals reports full year 2013 GAAP and non-GAAP financial results

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2013. For the three months ended December 31, 2013, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Alexion" or the "Company") reported net product sales of Soliris® (eculizumab) of $441.9 million, compared to $320.5 million for the same period in 2012.

30 Jan 2014

Norwegian researchers map genetic variations associated with increased risk of MS and MG

The Norwegian researchers have taken part in an international cooperative effort to map 110 genetic variations that increase the risk of MS and MG. Most of these genetic variations have been mapped in recent years.

9 Jan 2014

Researchers develop new microsystem for testing drugs to treat epilepsy, MG and cystic fibrosis

Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Quebec at Montreal, have developed a new microsystem for more efficient testing of pharmaceutical drugs to treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, MG (myasthenia gravis) and epilepsy.

26 Nov 2013

Georgia University scientists identify cause of muscle weakness disease myasthenia gravis

An antibody to a protein critical to enabling the brain to talk to muscles has been identified as a cause of myasthenia gravis, researchers report.

12 Nov 2013

Researchers overcome obstacle to using viruses to deliver therapeutic genes

Scientists in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found a way to overcome one of the biggest obstacles to using viruses to deliver therapeutic genes: how to keep the immune system from neutralizing the virus before it can deliver its genetic payload. In a study published recently in Molecular Therapy, researchers found that giving subjects a treatment to temporarily rid the body of antibodies provides the virus safe passage to targeted cells, allowing it to release a corrective or replacement gene to treat disease.

30 Oct 2013

Study focuses on vaccine-preventable illnesses in myasthenia gravis patients

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine is considered a good first step in collecting data on vaccine-preventable illnesses in patients with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder causing weakness and rapid fatigue of voluntary muscles.

17 Oct 2013

Pfizer Licenses Gliknik's Pooled IVIG In $25M+ Deal

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30 Sep 2013