Research News
The opportunity that wasn't
10 March 2010
Opportunistic infections aren't an opportunity for Roche and Biogen Idec. In fact, they have ocrelizumab, the follow-up to the companies' near-blockbuster Rituxan, on the ropes and headed for a TKO. More...
Multiple Sclerosis Annual Evidence Update now available
08 March 2010
NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Updates (AEUs) attempt to draw together recently published, high quality evidence - focusing particularly on systematic reviews and published guidelines - which it is hoped will inform and enhance the decision making and planning of clinicians, commissioners and others involved in the process of health care. More...
Immune system boost from Vitamin D?
08 March 2010
The Daily Telegraph has reported that "vitamin D 'triggers and arms' the immune system". It said that researchers believe that vitamin D plays a key role in boosting the immune system. More...
Vitamin D 'triggers and arms' the immune system
07 March 2010
Vitamin D is crucial to the fending off of infections, claims new research. More...
Scientists find why "sunshine" vitamin D is crucial
07 March 2010
Vitamin D is vital in activating human defenses and low levels suffered by around half the world's population may mean their immune systems' killer T cells are poor at fighting infection, scientists said on Sunday. More...
Success for pilot scheme
05 March 2010
An innovative scheme piloted in Surrey and Sussex, the first of its kind in the country, has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the lives of people in the area with multiple sclerosis (MS). More...
Researchers find further evidence linking Epstein-Barr virus and risk of multiple sclerosis
04 March 2010
First long-term study among individuals not infected with EBV suggests EBV infection likely to be a cause of MS, not a consequence. More...
LDN study results published
02 March 2010
At long last, the results from the University of California at San Francisco study of low dose naltrexone (LDN) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been released. More...
MS trial alert: study of oral teriflunomide (HMR1726) recruiting people at high risk for MS worldwide
01 March 2010
Investigators worldwide are recruiting people at high risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) for a study comparing two doses of oral HMR1726 (teriflunomide), an immune system-modulating agent, and inactive placebo. More...
Infection 'could trigger MS in those susceptible to the disease'
27 February 2010
An infection could trigger multiple sclerosis in those susceptible to the debilitating disease, a new study suggests. More...
Migraine linked to MS in women
21 February 2010
Women with physician-diagnosed migraine appear to have an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers found. More...
Studies show marijuana has 'therapeutic value'
18 February 2010
Researchers from the University of California's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) have found "reasonable evidence that cannabis is a promising treatment" for some specific, pain-related medical conditions. More...
Exercise helps protect brain of multiple sclerosis patients
18 February 2010
Highly fit multiple sclerosis patients perform significantly better on tests of cognitive function than similar less-fit patients, a new study shows. More...
Migraine tied to raised multiple sclerosis risk
16 February 2010
But overall odds are still low and headache sufferers shouldn't worry, researcher says. More...
Add-on daclizumab may reduce MS disease activity more than interferon beta alone
15 February 2010
Add-on daclizumab treatment might reduce multiple sclerosis disease activity more than standard interferon beta treatment alone, according to a study published online first and appearing in the April edition of The Lancet Neurology. More...
Region handed key role in MS drug trial
12 February 2010
The North-East will be home to one of only three centres in the UK to trial a revolutionary drug for the treatment of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). More...
Research casts doubt on new MS theory
11 February 2010
Research released yesterday has further complicated a feverish scientific debate over the treatment of multiple sclerosis, finding that as few as 56% of MS patients show signs of a blood-vessel problem that a controversial new theory cites as the cause of the disease. More...
MS study links narrow veins to disease
11 February 2010
More than half of the multiple sclerosis patients in a closely watched study had narrowing of some neck veins leading from the brain, researchers said. More...
Brain blood vessels clue to MS
10 February 2010
More than 55% of multiple sclerosis patients have been found to have constricted blood vessels in their brains, a US study says. More...
First blinded study of venous insufficiency prevalence in MS shows promising results
10 February 2010
A study by neurologist Robert Zivadinov has shown that the narrowing of extracranial veins is, at the very least, an important association in multiple sclerosis. More...
Blocking cell movement for cancer, multiple sclerosis treatment
10 February 2010
University of Adelaide researchers in Australia are finding new ways to block the movement of cells in the body which can cause autoimmune diseases and the spread of cancer. More...
Test theory, but treat MS patients, doctor says
09 February 2010
The Italian doctor behind a controversial new theory of multiple sclerosis said yesterday he welcomes more rigorous scientific investigation of his ideas, but suggested there is no reason MS patients should not immediately undergo the testing and treatment he pioneered. More...
Drinking milk while pregnant may lower kids' MS risk
09 February 2010
Finding suggests that the effect of vitamin D begins in the womb, expert says. More...
Hamilton researchers to test Italian scientist's MS theory
08 February 2010
Idea that MS is a treatable vascular disease has been controversial. More...
Study to look at earlier use of MS drug Tysabri
08 February 2010
As regulators once again updated the label on Tysabri over the risk of a rare and potentially fatal brain disease, Biogen Idec and Elan Corp are planning a long-term trial that could lead to use of the multiple sclerosis blockbuster at the early stages of the condition. More...
CCSVI or blood flow in the brain and venous insufficiency in multiple sclerosis
08 February 2010
February 9th marks the date that the Society receives research grant applications in response to its international request for research proposals. More...
Study of oral teriflunomide (HMR1726) recruiting people with relapsing forms of MS worldwide
08 February 2010
Investigators worldwide are recruiting 1110 people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) for a study comparing two doses of teriflunomide (HMR1726), an investigational, oral MS medication, and inactive placebo. More...
Blacks with MS have more severe symptoms, decline faster than whites, new study shows
06 February 2010
Fewer African Americans than Caucasians develop multiple sclerosis (MS), statistics show, but their disease progresses more rapidly, and they don't respond as well to therapies, a new study by neurology researchers at the University at Buffalo has found. More...
Multiple sclerosis risk changes with the season
29 January 2010
Previous studies have shown multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are more often born in spring than in any other season, indicating that there is an environmental risk factor for the disease. More...
Magnetic resonance imaging examined in multiple sclerosis
28 January 2010
Study evaluates dynamic causal model to assess interactions of brain regions during motor task. More...
Biogen Idec advances first regenerative MS medicine into human study
27 January 2010
One of the more intriguing experimental drugs for multiple sclerosis has just entered its first clinical trial. More...
Little pill means big news in the treatment of multiple sclerosis
26 January 2010
A new drug for multiple sclerosis promises to change the lives of the 100,000 people in the UK who have the condition, say researchers at Queen Mary, University of London. More...
Two-year results from CLARITY study with cladribine tablets in multiple sclerosis
23 January 2010
The CLARITY study [published in the New England Journal of Medicine] was a two-year (96-week), randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III trial of Cladribine Tablets in 1,326 people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). More...
Is new MS research the real thing, or a media-driven frenzy?
23 January 2010
For long-suffering multiple sclerosis patients, it seemed like a miracle: a relatively simple new explanation for what causes the often-crippling disease, and an equally straightforward fix. More...
First tablets to fight multiple sclerosis 'dramatically reduce relapse'
21 January 2010
The first tablets to fight multiple sclerosis dramatically reduce the chances of symptoms returning, new studies show. More...
BTG commences phase IIa study of Pleneva for multiple sclerosis - quick facts
21 January 2010
BTG Plc said it commenced dosing in a European multicentre Phase IIa study of Pleneva, a novel orally administered compound under development as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis. More...
Low vitamin D levels are associated with greater risk of relapse in childhood-onset multiple sclerosis
21 January 2010
Low vitamin D blood levels are associated with a significantly higher risk of relapse attacks in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who develop the disease during childhood, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco. More...
New pills for MS tested
21 January 2010
"The first tablets to fight multiple sclerosis dramatically reduce the chances of symptoms returning," The Daily Telegraph has reported. More...
Hope for MS pill after cladribine and fingolimod trials
20 January 2010
Oral drugs to treat multiple sclerosis could become available in 2011 after promising results in two trials. More...
MS pills show promise and risk, studies say
20 January 2010
Tests of the first two oral drugs developed for treating multiple sclerosis show that both cut the frequency of relapses and may slow progression of the disease, but with side effects that could pose a tough decision for patients. More...
New ways to treat multiple sclerosis
18 January 2010
Multiple sclerosis seems to damage the central nervous system at a pace faster than the body's own repair mechanism can keep up. In an attempt to find new approaches to treat the disease, scientists are exploring techniques to give the repair process a boost. More...
UK Stem Cell Foundation & MS Society stem cell research collaboration
14 January 2010
Stem cell research in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been given a much-needed shot in the arm thanks to a partnership between the UK's largest charity supporting people affected by the condition and the UK's only charity dedicated to supporting stem cell research. More...
Experimental cancer drugs could offer effective treatments for MS
14 January 2010
Work on cancer growth and stem cells could reveal ways of reversing damage to the nerves caused by MS. More...
Investigators in Ohio recruiting 24 people for study of autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplantation
06 January 2010
Investigators in Ohio are recruiting 24 people with relapsing forms of MS for a study of the safety and tolerability of transplanting one's own mesenchymal stem cells (derived from bone marrow). More...
Research into using acupuncture to treat urinary incontinence
05 January 2010
Researchers in America have carried out a pilot study to identify if acupuncture is effective in reducing urinary incontinence and to test research methods for investigating this treatment. More...
Babies born in April have 'higher MS risk'
03 January 2010
Babies born in April face an increased risk of suffering from multiple sclerosis in later life, possibly as a result of their mothers' lack of exposure to sunlight, according to research. More...
Widely used device for pain therapy not recommended for chronic low back pain
30 December 2009
A new guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology finds that transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), a widely used pain therapy involving a portable device, is not recommended to treat chronic low-back because - pain that has persisted for three months or longer - pain research shows it is not effective. More...
Vitamin D can reduce number of falls and fractures in elderly
28 December 2009
Elderly people who take a daily dose of vitamin D can boost their muscle strength and reduce the risk of falls by 19 per cent, according to a new study. More...
GWAS meta-analysis supports existence of autoimmune disease clusters
24 December 2009
A new paper in PLoS Genetics today suggests the same genetic variants that increase an individual's risk for one set of autoimmune diseases may actually make them less susceptible to others. More...
National MS Society flags CCSVI hypothesis a top research priority in 2010
22 December 2009
As 2009 draws to a close, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has taken stock of some of the research highlights of the year that was and is looking ahead to 2010. More...