Myelin News and Research

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Myelin is the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves.

Scientists spell out pivotal role of Peli1 in mouse model of multiple sclerosis

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.

3 May 2013

New treatment strategy for patients with CMT disease on the horizon

A potential new treatment strategy for patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is on the horizon, thanks to research by neuroscientists now at the University at Buffalo's Hunter James Kelly Research Institute and their colleagues in Italy and England.

29 Apr 2013

Phase 1 clinical study of rHIgM22 initiated for treatment of multiple sclerosis

Mayo Clinic and Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today 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.

23 Apr 2013

Study: Atrophy in an important area of brain predicts multiple sclerosis

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.

23 Apr 2013

Researchers transform skin cells directly into oligodendrocyte precursor cells

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have succeeded in transforming skin cells directly into oligodendrocyte precursor cells, the cells that wrap nerve cells in the insulating myelin sheaths that help nerve signals propagate.

16 Apr 2013

Acorda Therapeutics reports positive data from dalfampridine-ER post-stroke deficits trial

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that a proof-of-concept trial found dalfampridine extended release tablets, marketed as AMPYRA (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg, improved walking in people with post-stroke deficits.

16 Apr 2013

Researchers discover new technique that directly converts skin cells into functional brain cells

Researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine have discovered a technique that directly converts skin cells to the type of brain cells destroyed in patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other so-called myelin disorders.

15 Apr 2013

Omeros' GPCR platform unlocks new drug targets against multiple sclerosis

Omeros Corporation today announced positive data in the most commonly used model for studying the clinical and pathological features of multiple sclerosis (MS), further advancing its development program of GPR17-targeting compounds for the treatment of MS. Compounds previously discovered by Omeros that inhibit GPR17, an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) unlocked by Omeros, significantly improved function from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice.

11 Apr 2013

People to participate in Rally for Medical Research to raise awareness of NIH funding

On April 8 at 11 a.m., thousands of people will gather on the Carnegie Library grounds to participate in the Rally for Medical Research to raise awareness of the critical need to make funding for the National Institutes of Health a priority.

5 Apr 2013

Johns Hopkins scientists identify role of central nervous system cell in development of ALS

Johns Hopkins scientists say they have evidence from animal studies that a type of central nervous system cell other than motor neurons plays a fundamental role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal degenerative disease.

1 Apr 2013

Research findings could lead to improved treatment for neuropathic pain

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says a key protein in Schwann cells performs a critical, perhaps overarching, role in regulating the recovery of peripheral nerves after injury.

28 Mar 2013

Study provides important insight into how BMT treatment works in patients with MS

A new study by Multiple Sclerosis researchers at three leading Canadian centres addresses why bone marrow transplantation has positive results in patients with particularly aggressive forms of MS.

27 Mar 2013

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

A growing body of research by multiple sclerosis 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.

22 Mar 2013

Phase 1b study of olesoxime initiated in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients

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14 Mar 2013

NIH-sponsored comparative trial evaluates benefits of combination therapy and monotherapy in MS

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were treated with combination therapy did not see significant clinical benefit over those treated with single drug therapy, but combination therapy did reduce the development of new lesions, according to an international research team led by The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

12 Mar 2013

Combination of INF and glatiramer acetate does not reduce MS progression

A recent clinical trial found that interferonβ-1a (INF) and glatiramer acetate (GA), two of the most commonly prescribed drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS), provide no additional clinical benefit when taken together.

12 Mar 2013

Study reveals increased dietary salt intake may lead to autoimmune disorders

Increased dietary salt intake can induce a group of aggressive immune cells that are involved in triggering and sustaining autoimmune diseases.

7 Mar 2013

Researchers identify several genes associated with human neurological disorders

Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have identified several genes linked to human neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, in the sea lamprey, a vertebrate fish whose whole-genome sequence is reported this week in the journal Nature Genetics.

25 Feb 2013

Stress and mental illness: an interview with Professor Akira Sawa

As a psychiatrist I am interested in how stress may play a role in the pathology of adult mental disorders. You may know that most of the major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, mood-disorder, substance abuse or even anxiety disorder, become prominent in early adulthood.

14 Feb 2013

Reprogrammed human skin cells highly effective in treating myelin disorders

A study out today 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.

10 Feb 2013