Monthly Archives: August 2017

Coming down with the flu can provoke relapses in multiple sclerosis patients by activating glial cells that surround and protect nerve cells. In a study in mice, scientists found that activated glial cells increase the levels of a chemical messenger in the brain that, in turn, triggers an immune reaction and, potentially, autoimmune attacks. The… Read more »

University of California medical school researchers are looking for multiple sclerosis patients who want to participate in an international study of the bacteria that live in our gut. The University of California at San Francisco team decided to study the gut microbiome after recent evidence suggested that it is critical in establishing and maintaining immune… Read more »

Children with multiple sclerosis consume less iron, which may affect their immune and nervous systems, according to a study. Most MS cases occur between the ages of 20 and 40, but sometimes children under 18 develop it. Pediatric-onset MS, as it is called, is believed to account for 3 to 5 percent of cases that… Read more »

  A bacteria present in the gut, called Prevotella histicola, prevented multiple sclerosis (MS) from developing in a preclinical mouse model, found researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, along with colleagues at the University of Iowa. Their study, “Human Gut-Derived Commensal Bacteria Suppress CNS Inflammatory and Demyelinating Disease,” appeared in the journal Cell Reports. Current research suggests that alterations… Read more »

  Phase 1 Trial Recruitment Atara Biotherapeutics recently published an update of the company’s quarterly financial results and operational highlights, including the advancement of its T-cell based immunotherapy strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer. One of the investigational therapies featured in the report is ATA188, a potential treatment for MS. According to the announcement, the company completed patient recruitment for… Read more »