MS News: November 2013

Thirty pieces of positive MS news published in November to brighten your day!

1. Multiple sclerosis appears to originate in different part of brain than long believed
   Steven Schutzer, a physician and scientist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has now found an important clue why progress has been slow – it appears that most research on the origins of MS has focused on the wrong part of the brain.

• New Research Presented at Neuroscience 2013
  A type of immune system cell has been found to directly target and damage nerve cell axons, a hallmark of MS. This may reveal a target for new therapies (Brian Sauer, PhD, presentation 404.06, see attached speaker summary).
• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and MS: A Genetic Connection
  Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London have discovered a genetic link between Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that there may be a shared mechanism of action the triggers the two diseases.
• Testosterone Halts Gray Matter Atrophy in MS
  Treatment with 100 mg of testosterone was associated with diminished atrophy of gray matter over a 6-month window and reversal to pre-study levels with significant increase in the right middle frontal gyrus after 12 months of therapy, according to Florian Kurth, MD, of the University of California Los Angeles, and colleagues.
• StemGenex® Offers New Hope for Multiple Sclerosis Patients Offering Cutting-Edge Stem Cell Therapy
  StemGenex is currently studying ways to more effectively deliver these adult stem cells directly to the areas of the body that need them most. One of these groundbreaking treatments is called intranasal stem cell administration which highlights the potential for a noninvasive approach to cell therapy delivery.
• New way to use MRI to measure the brain
  Scientists have developed a new method for quantitatively measuring human brain tissue using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). “We’re moving from qualitative—saying something is off—to measuring how off it is,” says Aviv Mezer, postdoctoral scholar in psychology at Stanford University. The team’s work appears in the journal Nature Medicine.
• Aerobic Exercise Benefits Memory in Persons With MS
  A research study headed by Victoria Leavitt, Ph.D. and James Sumowski, Ph.D., of Kessler Foundation, provides the first evidence for beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on brain and memory in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Battling: Minnesota goaltender not letting multiple sclerosis slow him down in NHL
  Josh Harding‘s greatest challenge in life is parenthetical today, by his choice. That this challenge is the multiple sclerosis he battles every day, something he chooses not to discuss in-season lest it become a distraction for himself or his club, tells you something about Minnesota’s team-first goaltender.
• HEALTH MATTERS: Early diagnosis key in multiple sclerosis
  With advancements in MRI technology, doctors are now better able to diagnosis multiple sclerosis in its beginning stages, allowing patients to start treatment sooner and keep symptoms at bay.
• GW Pharmaceuticals plc Announces Sativex(R) Regulatory Approval in Switzerland
  A full marketing authorization has been granted by the Swissmedic authorities in the treatment of moderate to severe spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients who have not responded adequately to other anti-spasticity medications. Sativex will be commercialized in Switzerland by GW’s European partner, Almirall S.A.
• ‘I thought I’d be out in week five’: Jack Osbourne is proud to come third place in DWTS after battling multiple sclerosis as he embraces tearful mother Sharon
  The 28-year-old, who has recently been struggling with painful symptoms related to his battle with multiple sclerosis, placed third in the competition. But Jack was just proud to have made it as far as he did after suffering a relapse of his auto immune disease in the last few weeks.
• MS Patients Did Not Benefit from CCSVI Intervention Based on the Prospective Randomized Endovascular Therapy Study (PREMiSe ) Presented at the 40th Annual VEITHsymposium
  Vast majority of CCSVI procedures were done outside a clinical trial raising skepticism. “The study’s key findings are that while the treatment is safe and was not associated with serious adverse events, it did not provide sustained improvement in MS patients,” explained Zivadinov.
• Real-time imaging technique provides essential molecular picture of protective nerve sheath
  Researchers have made an exciting breakthrough – developing a first-of-its-kind imaging tool to examine myelin damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). An extremely difficult disease to diagnose, the tool will help physicians diagnose patients earlier, monitor the disease’s progression, and evaluate therapy efficacy.
• Home Depot Makes Life Easier for Disabled Resident
  The Home Depot project grew out of a friendship Moore and Jessica developed with Janie Burns, an employee at the store who often is at the front greeting customers. During the summer, Burns ran a meet and greet for singles 40 and older at Thunderbird Lanes bowling center in Manahawkin to raise funds for a multiple sclerosis workshop.
• MS sufferer Marie wins apology over medical card letter
  MULTIPLE sclerosis (MS) sufferer Marie Fleming and her partner, who was forced to provide proof of her illness in order to retain her medical card, have received an apology from Health Minister James Reilly.
• More Neurologists Now Mention Once-Daily Dosing As Aubagio’s Biggest Advantage Compared With Earlier in Launch, According to a New Report from BioTrends Research Group
  Reflecting increased product awareness and neurologist familiarity compared with earlier in the launch, significantly more surveyed neurologists now know that Aubagio is dosed once daily, providing a potential point of differentiation with recently launched, twice-daily Tecfidera.
• Powerful speeches move impassioned crowd at National MS Society luncheon
  The National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosted its seventh annual On the Move Luncheon at the elegant Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, raising more than $125,000 for research and awareness.
• MS initiative good news for city woman
  A local multiple sclerosis sufferer felt relief this week when she heard the news that the government would be further supporting the MS community. Susan Schneider, a local resident living with MS and an MS ambassador, was diagnosed with the disease in 1994 and is bound to a wheelchair.
• East Durham Multiple Sclerosis group gets new specialist equipment
  AN EAST Durham group set up to support people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been awarded a lottery grant to enable them to purchase a piece of specialist exercise equipment.
• Dueling politicians headline sold-out MS benefit
  Egged on by a roaring crowd, St. Catharines MP Rick Dykstra and Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce CEO Walter Sendzik went blow for blow in the boxing ring.
• Light as medicine? Researchers help reveal how specific wavelengths of light can heal
  Jeri-Anne Lyons decided to test how the disease responded to a radical therapy – exposure to a certain wavelength of light called near-infrared (NIR). “Never in a million years did I think it would help,” says Lyons
• Newcastle trial leads to new MS treatment on PBS
  The trial, based at the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), involved patients taking an oral medicine, alleviating the need for injections. From next week, the drug will be listed on the PBS offering an alternative therapy for MS patients.
• Multiple sclerosis research in Alberta receives $1.2 million boost
  Multiple sclerosis research in Alberta is getting a boost after Novartis Pharmaceutical Canada announced Wednesday that it will contribute $1.2 million toward the cause.
• Metabomed, ChanBio join Merck Serono Israel Bioincubator
  Metabomed is conducting research on cancer metabolism and computational biology and ChanBio is seeking therapeutic targets for treating multiple sclerosis. Metabomed Ltd. and ChanBio Ltd. have joined the Merck Serono Israel Bioincubator in Yavne. They join Neviah Genomics Ltd., the first company to join the incubator, in which Merck Serono invested €10 million.
• A Time to Give: 2013 Wish List
  Norskog is a 2013 Wish List recipient with 44 other ailing people in need around Lewis County this holiday season. The wish list is organized by the Information and Assistance/Case Management program, operated through the Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging.
• BioScreen Takes the Guesswork Out of MS Treatment Plans
  Researchers are working on an app that charts your disease course, suggests the best therapy, and shows how you stack up against others with MS.
• Ethical IPO funds drug company
  The company, which recently relocated from New Zealand to Australia, is mid-stage in clinical development of a multiple sclerosis therapy which has already shown promising early stage results in secondary progressive MS patients.
• Merck Adds Two New Research Partnerships in Israel
  Newly created company Metabomed and start-up company ChanBio joined the Merck Serono Israel Bioincubator in Yavne today. The € 10 million MS Ventures Israel Bioincubator Fund is focused on pre-seed and seed opportunities originating in Israel. The Merck Serono Israel Bioincubator so far housed Neviah Genomics and Merck expects several more companies to enter.
• Acupuncture Has Answer to Severe Nervous Disorder
  In several cases, acupuncture has managed to heal the symptoms of Multiple sclerosis sometimes even permanent cure by tonifying the liver and spleen, nourishing the blood to improve the acuity of vision, and strengthening the muscle and bones. A study was conducted in China to observe its effectiveness.

© Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2013. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.