CLEVELAND CLINIC UNVEILS TOP 10 MEDICAL INNOVATIONS FOR 2021

An up-and-coming gene therapy for blood disorders. A new class of medications for cystic fibrosis. Increased access to telemedicine. These are some of the innovations that will enhance healing and change healthcare in the coming year, according to a distinguished panel of clinicians and researchers from Cleveland Clinic.

In conjunction with the 2020 Medical Innovation Summit, Cleveland Clinic announced the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2021.

First results of the COVID-19 in MS Global Data Sharing Initiative suggest anti-CD20 DMTs are associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies, efforts to minimise the risk on vulnerable people are essential. People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be a vulnerable group due to the high proportion taking long-term immunosuppressive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Studies from Italy…

Interrupting disease modifying treatment for pregnancy in multiple sclerosis – effect on disease activity and serum neurofilament light chain

Background: Pregnancy in MS typically goes along with reduced disease activity in the third trimester, followed by an increase in relapse frequency postpartum. Neurofilament light chain levels in serum (NfL) is a specific biomarker of neuroaxonal injury. Increased NfL levels…

Phase 2 clinical trial evidence that a retinoid-X receptor agonist promotes remyelination in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Background: Retinoid acid X receptor [RXR] gamma agonists promote oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation and remyelination following experimental demyelination. Objectives: To assess the safety and efficacy of bexarotene, a non-specific RXR agonist licensed for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, as a remyelinating therapy…

New Study Reveals 75% of Multiple Sclerosis Patients Face Financial Toxicity

A new study from Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute finds that over ¾ of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients face financial toxicity that often results in non-adherence to follow up care. This Multiple Sclerosis Journal study is the first of its kind to evaluate financial toxicity in MS patients and whether financial hardship is linked to patients foregoing the therapy and imaging follow-up prescribed in their treatment plan.

8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS (MSVirtual2020) Meeting to Be Held Virtually September 11-13, 2020 with an Encore Event on September 26th with Late Breakers and Special Session on COVID-19

Registered media to MSVirtual2020 will have access to the full program including plenary sessions, invited speakers and platform presentations of abstracts, poster presentations, teaching courses, and industry supported satellite symposia, both scheduled and on-demand

Henry Ford Health System Receives $25 Million Gift, Largest Single Donation in its History

Nationally-known developer Chris Jeffries and his wife Lisa have donated $25 million to Henry Ford Health System, the largest single gift from an individual in the health system’s 105-year history. This historic gift will rapidly accelerate the growth and expansion of Henry Ford’s Precision Medicine program, with the ultimate goal of creating a Precision Health Center. The efforts will have a robust focus on the advancement of cancer research and treatment, while also expanding to other medical specialties treating behavioral health, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

New Research Links Genetics and MS Severity, Offers Innovative Treatment Ideas to Combat MS and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases

Dr. Peter Calabresi, professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Director of the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center, will present his team’s discovery of a possible link between severe damage and C3 and C1q gene variants, and how this information could lead to improvements in the ways MS and other neurodegenerative diseases are treated, during his keynote Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture on the opening day of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2020.

Mayo Clinic research discovers a molecular switch for repairing central nervous system disorders

A molecular switch has the ability to turn on a substance in animals that repairs neurological damage in disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Mayo Clinic researchers discovered.

For Concussion, MS, Other Neurologic Disorders, Telemedicine May Be as Effective as Office Visit

For people with many neurologic disorders, seeing the neurologist by video may be as effective as an in-person visit, according to a review of the evidence conducted by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The evidence review examined all available studies on use of telemedicine for several neurologic conditions – stroke being one of the conditions that is well-validated and highly utilizes telemedicine – and is published in the December 4, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the AAN. The results indicate that a diagnosis from a neurologist by video for certain neurologic conditions is likely to be as accurate as an in-person visit.

Scientists Find Molecular Key to Body Making Healthy T Cells

In a finding that could help lead to new therapies for immune diseases like multiple sclerosis and IBD, scientists report in the Journal of Experimental Medicine identifying a gene and family of proteins critical to the formation of mature and fully functioning T cells in the immune system.