Some autoimmune diseases are different in women and men. A group of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has found a strong female bias in the response of a neurotransmitter receptor that is involved in many neurological processes. Their study identified the hyperactivity of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) in the intestine and associated it with the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in female mice.
The U.S. FDA granted Roche Holding AG breakthrough device designation for its Elecsys Neurofilament Light Chain test for multiple sclerosis. The Elecsys NfL test can aid in the detection of disease activity in adults, 18-55 years old, with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. It also provides critical information for managing the disease.
Nearly a year and a half after an interim analysis cast doubt on the future of Atara Biotherapeutics Inc.’s phase II study of ATA-188 in treating non-active progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS), the newly released primary analysis didn’t change much.
Researchers from Università degli Studi di Foggia presented data from a study that aimed to investigate different circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) as possible biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Lapix Therapeutics Inc. has received IND clearance from the FDA to initiate a phase I trial of its first-in-class, immune tolerance restoration small molecule, LPX-TI641, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).
In multiple sclerosis (MS), macrophages and microglia play a dual role that could be used to treat this neurodegenerative disease. These cells promote inflammation that demyelinates neurons but also sweep away the debris of damaged myelin and produce neurotrophic factors that would allow its restoration. According to a group of scientists from the University of Hasselt in Belgium, damage or repair depends on a double switch that combines the action of two enzymes, one that desaturates and another that elongates fatty acids. By reducing the levels of these enzymes, phagocytic cells would replenish the myelin instead of engulfing it.
Researchers from Ashvattha Therapeutics LLC recently reported on ASH-41020, a new dendranib compound acting as a CSF-1R inhibitor with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.
For many multiple sclerosis patients, the approval over the past 30 years of a lengthy list of immunomodulatory therapies has helped to reduce the frequency of relapses and to slow disease progression. However, there has been little parallel progress in the development of remyelination therapies, to tackle the other key pathophysiological dimension of the disease. Patients still have no therapies that can help to repair at least some of the damage that results from flare-ups, and the resulting neuronal loss contributes to further disease progression and disability. Rewind Therapeutics NV, of Leuven, Belgium, is one of a small clutch of firms attempting to tackle this problem.
Biosimilars continue to pose cheaper alternatives to their established, blockbuster counterparts. The U.S. FDA has approved Tyruko (natalizumab-sztn) from Sandoz Inc., the generics business of Novartis AG. It is the first approved biosimilar to Biogen Inc.’s blockbuster Tysabri (natalizumab), an injectable monoclonal antibody for treating adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).
