Category Archives: MS Treatment

June 13, 2017 Demyelination by MS. The CD68 colored tissue shows several macrophages in the area of the lesion. Original scale 1:100. Credit: Marvin 101/Wikipedia Researchers in the University of Maryland (UMD) Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) Jewell Laboratory are using quantum dots - tiny semiconductor particles commonly used in nanotechnology - to decipher the features needed to design specific and effective therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. Their findings were published this week as the cover story of Advanced Functional Materials. "Engineering technologies aimed at autoimmune disease could pave the way for new treatment options," said principal investigator and BIOE assistant professor Christopher Jewell. "However, in order to develop next-generation therapies, bioengineers need basic insight into the specific features that are critical to therapy design. Generally, because the human body is so complex, discoveries in medicine have relied on trial-and-error. But, by using rational design approaches - understanding what each piece of a potential therapeutic controls - we have the potential to transform how disease is tackled. Toward this goal, our team used quantum dots to dissect some of the important design features for new nanotherapeutics aimed at MS." In MS, the immune system incorrectly recognizes … Continue reading →

By combining an experimental stem cell treatment with a nanoparticle delivery system, researchers may eventually stop MS and other autoimmune diseases. An innovative stem cell therapy could change how we treat multiple sclerosis (MS), but are we any closer to a cure? The work of Dr. Su Metcalfe, founder and chief scientific officer of the biotech company LIFNano, appears to be breathing new life into that hope. Metcalfe and her team developed a way to fight MS by using the bodys own natural mechanisms but it hasnt been tested in humans yet. MS is an inflammatory and neurodegenerative autoimmune disease that can result in an array of neurological symptoms including fatigue, muscle spasms, speech problems, and numbness. It is caused by the immune system attacking myelin, the insulating coating that runs along the outside of nerve cells. The result is damage to the brain and central nervous system. The disease currently affects roughly 2.5 million people worldwide. About 200 new cases are diagnosed each week in the United States. LIFNano uses a new treatment based on LIF a stem cell protein that forms naturally in the body to signal and regulate the immune systems response to myelin. LIF, in addition … Continue reading →

Researchers are working on devices and new technology that could help people with multiple sclerosis walk again. A treatment option that seemed to give false hope 30 years ago is now showing potential for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who can no longer walk. When the movie First Stepscame out in 1985 medical experts scoffed at its message that electrical stimulation was a viable option for helping people to walk again after traumatic spinal cord injuries. Today experts are successfully providing functional electrical stimulation for spinal cord patients. And just recently extended its use to the world of MS. Read more: The benefits of yoga for people with MS Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a treatment that uses small electrical charges to improve mobility for someone who has difficulties with walking caused by damage to the brain or spinal cord. FES stimulates the nerves in the leg, causing the muscles to contract and produce a movement that can aid in walking. Currently with MS, the most common use of FES is as a treatment for foot drop. Dr. Stephen Selkirk, a neurologist at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, told Healthline that FES may not work for everyone. He … Continue reading →

Dad overwhelmed after 60k raised for MS treatment that could give him the extra time he craves to watch his children grow up BelfastTelegraph.co.uk A father-of-five who is fighting multiple sclerosis has raised more than 60,000 to fund treatment in Mexico. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/dad-overwhelmed-after-60k-raised-for-ms-treatment-that-could-give-him-the-extra-time-he-craves-to-watch-his-children-grow-up-35804345.html http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/article35804342.ece/afd8d/AUTOCROP/h342/2017-06-09_new_31865895_I1.JPG A father-of-five who is fighting multiple sclerosis has raised more than 60,000 to fund treatment in Mexico. John McNaughton, who was diagnosed in 2011, hopes that the intervention will give him precious years to watch his children grow up. After failed therapy attempts here in the UK, the 43-year-old from Glenariff in the Glens of Antrim, came across positive onlinew reviews of a private treatment in Mexico. But he had to raise the cash before his condition got so bad that doctors would not offer him the treatment. Initially booking to travel in mid-September, John and wife Patricia raised a massive 34,000 from fundraisers held in his local hurling club and from various donations, but needed the remaining balance by July. This prompted John to start a crowdfunding page in April, which helped him to meet the balance after an amazing response from supporters. John said: "The community response has been overwhelming, I thought it would be … Continue reading →

Scores of people living with multiple sclerosis have put themselves forward for clinical trials as part of a Cambridge scientists bid to develop a treatment to cure the disease. MS, an auto-immune condition which affects 2.3 million people around the world, attacks cells in the brain and the spinal cord, causing an array of physical and mental side effects including blindness and muscle weakness. At the moment theres no cure, but Cambridge scientist Su Metcalfe and her company, LIFNano, hope to change that. On Sunday the News told how Su has married one of the bodys cleverest functions with some cutting-edge technology. The natural side of the equation is provided by a stem cell particle called a LIF. Su said: I discovered a small binary switch, controlled by a LIF, which regulates inside the immune cell itself. LIF is able to control the cell to ensure it doesnt attack your own body but then releases the attack when needed. That LIF, in addition to regulating and protecting us against attack, also plays a major role in keeping the brain and spinal cord healthy. In fact it plays a major role in tissue repair generally, turning on stem cells that are … Continue reading →

An estimated 400,000 Americans are currently living with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease where the bodys immune cells attack a fatty substance called myelin in the nerves. Common MS symptoms are gait and balance disorders, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, pain and muscle spasticity. Colorado has the highest proportion of people living with MS in the United States. It is estimated that one in 550 people living in the state has MS, compared to one in 750 nationally. The reason for this is unknown, but could be related to several factors, such as vitamin D deficiency or environment. Currently available therapies do not sufficiently relieve MS symptoms. As a result many people with the condition are trying alternative therapies, like cannabis. Based on several studies, the American Association of Neurology states that there is strong evidence that cannabis is effective for treatment of pain and spasticity. Although there are many anecdotal reports indicating cannabis beneficial effects for treatment of MS symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, anxiety and sleep deprivation, they have not been scientifically verified. This is because clinical trials where patients are given cannabis are difficult to do because of how the substance is regulated at the federal level. To … Continue reading →

David Lippman , KTHV 11:02 PM. CDT June 06, 2017 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Thousands of Arkansans struggle with multiple sclerosis. Now some of them are showing remarkable improvement because of a new treatment option at UAMS. Josh Martin is one of the first patients to complete the two recommended cycles of Lemtrada. It is a drug that was brought to market in late 2015, and roughly 40 people have starting taking it so far. Martin was diagnosed with MS while a junior in high school in 2006. The disease was pretty stable all through college, Martin said, and within the last, Ill say two years, it really started to get worse. Hes had ups and downs, explained Laura Barganier, a nurse practitioner at UAMS who has overseen much of Martins care. Hes been in a wheelchair, hes been in a walker. Most of the time when he came, if he could walk, he was real spastic, meaning he could not stand up straight, that his muscles were so tight in his legs that he couldnt stand up, and he was dependent on the cane or having to use a wheelchair. Martin relied on daily injections for the first … Continue reading →

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Please enable Javascript to watch this video COLUMBUS, Ohio The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat people living with Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic auto-immune disorder that causes a patient`s own system to attack his or her brain and spinal cord. It's helping people like Pamela Arterbridge who for the past 25 years has been building her salon business one customer at a time. "I have a dedicated clientele and I never wanted to let them down." But four years ago, she began feeling exhausted and then some symptoms she couldn't ignore. "I woke up one morning and all of my toes were numb and tingling and it felt like I had rocks in my shoes." Pamela had Multiple Sclerosis. "I have a lesion on my spine, and I have three on my brain." Neurologist Michael Racke is an expert in M-S at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center. He is one of a nationwide team of researchers studying the effects of ocrelizumab. "Almost half the patients had no evidence of disease activity in terms of their M-S," said Dr. Racke. "That's much higher than we've seen with any other M-S treatment." Ocrelizumab is also the first … Continue reading →

Home MS Information Publications MS Research Update 2016 Includes additional material by Margaret M. McCormick, RN, BSN, MSCN Reviewed by Jack Burks, MD Edited by Susan Courtney This years MS Research Update has been published jointly by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), and the International Organization of MS Nurses (IOMSN). MSAA greatly appreciates the support from the CMSC and IOMSN to assist with the production of this publication. The MS Research Update provides important new data on approved and experimental treatments for MS, and is a valuable resource to the entire MS community. Please note that this update gives an overview of the research behind the approved and experimental medications and therapies for the long-term treatment of multiple sclerosis. It does not include information on any symptom-management medications or therapies. For additional information about MS, symptoms and symptom management, as well as MSAAs programs and services, please visit mymsaa.org or call (800) 532-7667. Questions to MSAAs Client Services department may also be emailed to MSquestions@mymsaa.org. Additionally, please note that due to the timing of the national and international MS conferences, study data from the 2016 conferences could not be included in … Continue reading →