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Genentech becomes Founding Sponsor for OPT-UP clinical study in MS, says ACP

Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis (ACP) announced today that Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, has become a Founding Sponsor for the Optimizing Treatment - Understanding Progression (OPT-UP) clinical study in multiple sclerosis (MS).

8 Oct 2015

Study: Sun exposure during teenage years may delay onset of multiple sclerosis

A study of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) found that those who spent time in the sun every day during the summer as teens developed the disease later than those reporting not spending time in the sun every day.

8 Oct 2015

Interim data from long-term extension Tecfidera® (dimethyl fumarate) study

Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) will, this week, present data at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrating the efficacy and safety of TECFIDERA® (dimethyl fumarate) across a broad range of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

7 Oct 2015

Tarix Orphan's TXA127 granted FDA Fast Track Designation for treatment of DMD patients

Tarix Orphan LLC, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of rare neuromuscular disorders and connective tissue diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track Designation to TXA127 (angiotensin 1-7) to reduce skeletal muscle damage and fibrosis and thereby improve muscle strength in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) patients.

6 Oct 2015

MS patients with history of neuro-ophthalmic syndromes perform poorly on visual neuropsychological testing

Scientists found that individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had a history of neuro-ophthalmic syndromes performed poorly on visual neuropsychological tasks. The article, "Neuro-ophthalmic syndromes and processing speed in multiple sclerosis," was published in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology.

6 Oct 2015

U of T study provides hope for treating ALS and FTD

It's the most common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but until now scientists weren't sure how a specific gene caused these devastating diseases. Now researchers from the University of Toronto are one step closer to solving this incredibly complex puzzle, offering hope for treatment.

6 Oct 2015

Algorithm reduces PAH screening costs in systemic sclerosis patients

The Australian Scleroderma Interest Group has derived a screening algorithm for pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis that saves costs by reducing the need for transthoracic echocardiography and right heart catheterisation.

5 Oct 2015

6-minute walk ‘not an accurate surrogate’ in systemic sclerosis-associated PAH

The 6-minute walk distance of patients with systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension is not a suitable marker for tracking treatment-related haemodynamic changes, say researchers.

2 Oct 2015

Quitting smoking may delay secondary progressive MS onset

Patients who are smokers when diagnosed with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis may be able to delay the time to onset of progressive disease by quitting smoking, a study suggests.

1 Oct 2015

Experimental drug shows promise in mice with multiple sclerosis

An experimental drug originally identified in a National Cancer Institute library of chemical compounds as a potential therapy for brain and basal cell cancers improves the symptoms of mice with a form of the debilitating neurological disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research from NYU Langone Medical Center.

1 Oct 2015

Study suggests link between human endogenous retroviral genes and ALS

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health discovered that reactivation of ancient viral genes embedded in the human genome may cause the destruction of neurons in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

1 Oct 2015

Stony Brook Children's Hospital follows pain management protocols to treat pain in pediatric patients

Stony Brook Children's Hospital clinicians follow pain management protocols to proactively, preemptively, and consistently treat pain in each and every pediatric patient. Known as the Ouchless Approach to Pediatric Medicine, Margaret McGovern, MD, PhD, Physician-in-Chief, describes it as the cornerstone of treatment for pediatric patients at Stony Brook Children's.

30 Sep 2015

Kessler Foundation study may simplify cognitive assessment for MS in clinical settings

Kessler Foundation scientists found that the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) predicted performance of activities of daily living using Actual Reality (AR). The article, "Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) and performance of everyday life tasks," was published in Multiple Sclerosis Journal.

25 Sep 2015

Research highlights potential new treatment strategy for degenerative diseases

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered evidence of a mechanism at the heart of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related degenerative diseases. The research appears in today's edition of the journal Cell and highlights a possible new treatment strategy for the devastating disorders.

25 Sep 2015

HSCI researchers find surprising similarities between SMA and ALS

Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers studying spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have found what they term "surprising similarities" between this childhood disorder that attacks motor neurons and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

25 Sep 2015

Adult survivors of childhood posterior fossa brain tumors have low working memory

Adult survivors of childhood brain tumors have lower working memory performance compared to healthy adults, according to researchers at Georgia State University and Emory University.

24 Sep 2015

Researchers reveal potential new treatment methods for fatal brain disease

Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich reveal possible new treatment methods for a rare, usually fatal brain disease. Thanks to their discovery that specific antibodies play a key role in combating the viral infection, a vaccine against the disease "progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy" could now be developed.

24 Sep 2015

Progression confirmation period too short to define disability persistence in MS

Researchers recommend extending the minimum timeframe for confirming disability progression in multiple sclerosis from 3–6 months to 12 or 24 months to better distinguish true irreversible disability from relapse-associated transient disability.

23 Sep 2015

UCI scientists find potential biomarker for diagnosing certain forms of autism

By identifying a key signaling defect within a specific membrane structure in all cells, University of California, Irvine researchers believe, they have found both a possible reliable biomarker for diagnosing certain forms of autism and a potential therapeutic target.

22 Sep 2015

Researchers develop new method to capture how brain cells interact

Interactions between brain cells hold the key to healthy brain function and cognition, but many of those interactions are notoriously difficult to study.

21 Sep 2015