Myrobalan Therapeutics Inc. has been awarded a grant of over $850,000 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to support the preclinical and translational development of MRO-002, a G-protein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17) antagonist, for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

For the first time, researchers have identified that inflammation – long associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) – appears to cause increased mutations that damage neurons linked to MS progression. Researchers at the Florey Institute and the University of Melbourne studied MS brain lesions, which are areas of past or ongoing brain inflammation that are visible as spots on MRI scans.

For the first time, researchers have identified that inflammation – long associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) – appears to cause increased mutations that damage neurons linked to MS progression. Researchers at the Florey Institute and the University of Melbourne studied MS brain lesions, which are areas of past or ongoing brain inflammation that are visible as spots on MRI scans.

Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2), expressed in astrocytes and microglia, is involved in the activation of pathways triggered by proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-23, IL-12 and type I interferons (IFNs), within the central nervous system (CNS). Dysregulated activation of astrocytes and microglia may contribute to the neuroinflammation associated with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a recognized risk factor that is now regarded as a prerequisite for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Recently, significant advances have been made in clarifying the precise mechanism by which EBV leads to the pathogenic features of MS. Now, a new study may have tied up more loose ends. Researchers from the University of Helsinki have mapped the immune landscape of deep cervical lymph nodes (dCLN) in patients recently diagnosed with MS.