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MS Research News

The latest research and scientific developments in MS

 
 

15 November 2016

Dear Supporter,

Diagnosing MS can be a challenge and misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary and potentially harmful risks. We report on a study of 110 people who were misdiagnosed, which identified migraine and fibromyalgia as some of the conditions most frequently misdiagnosed as MS. 

We report on a phase II trial of a new drug called amiselimod, which indicates that the drug is effective and safe in patients with relapsing–remitting MS.

We also feature a study showing that hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women with MS was associated with better physical quality of life.  

We report on the results of a detailed analysis of MRI outcomes from two phase III trials which compare alemtuzumab with subcutaneous interferon b-1a in MS. The study shows that alemtuzumab is superior to the interferon on MRI outcomes in relapsing remitting MS. 

Finally we feature a study using optical coherence tomography to monitor changes in the retina as a marker of MS activity.

Dr Dhia Chandraratna
Head of international scientific and medical research

 
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Previous pre-clinical and phase I studies have shown that a new fingolimod-like drug called amiselimod shows less side effects on the heart compared to fingolimod. In this study researchers examined the safety and efficacy of amiselimod in a larger number of people with relapsing-remitting MS. 

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It is not uncommon for someone who experiences MS-type symptoms to be misdiagnosed as having MS, when in fact something else is causing these symptoms. In this study, investigators looked at the records of 110 people from four different clinical centres across the USA who have been misdiagnosed as having MS. 

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Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used to reduce the effects of menopause, when there is a drop in female hormones such as oestrogen. Investigators asked whether quality of life reports from postmenopausal women with MS who were receiving HRT differed from those who were not receiving the therapy. 

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In 2012, two clinical trials assessed the effects of alemtuzumab in comparison with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a. Both studies found that alemtuzumab was superior to interferon as assessed by number of attacks in people with MS. 

In the current study, investigators reported further information on MRI outcomes of these two studies - the results confirm and complement the 2012 findings.  

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Specific parts of the retina behave similarly to the cells in the brain during MS. Therefore, assessing retinal layers (using optical coherence tomography or OCT) could be an alternative measure for assessing the health of brain cells.

Investigators assessed 108 people with MS over the period of one year and found that the volume of a specific layer of the retina at the beginning of the study was associated with disease activity on MRI and number of MS attacks.

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ECTRIMS Highlights Video

The 32nd Congress of ECTRIMS and the 21st Annual Conference of RIMS took place in London last month and was a very successful congress with over 9,300 participants from almost 100 countries.

The highlights video features selected scientific presentations to enable you to revisit key elements of ECTRIMS 2016.

View video >

 

ECTRIMS Fellowship Programmes

  • ECTRIMS offers a comprehensive range of fellowship programmes for different target groups. Please visit their Fellowships page and click on the individual programmes in the right-hand menu to select the programme of your interest.

    View page >

 
 

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