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Immigrants and Multiple Sclerosis in Canada

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

SUMMARY Several recent studies examined risk factors for MS in immigrants in Ontario. These studies looked at MS incidence, mortality rates, and access to health services to understand differences in immigrant populations as compared to long-term residents. RESEARCH To understand risk factors for MS... Read the full article

Update: COVID-19 in People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

  • MS Society Funded

OVERVIEW: A global data sharing initiative was established in response to the new coronavirus and a need for evidence to guide clinical management of MS during the pandemic. The initiative seeks to understand the risks of COVID-19 in people with MS and whether disease modifying therapies (DMTs) affect... Read the full article

Dietary interventions may delay MS onset and progression

  • MS Society Funded

Summary: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). While the causes of MS are not well understood, it is well established that the disease is driven by an activated immune system involving specialized cells (T cells) that... Read the full article

International Progressive MS Alliance Expert Panel Outlines Promise of a Biomarker to Predict Disease Course and Accelerate Treatments for Progressive MS

  • MS Society Funded

BACKGROUND: In order to accelerate the development of new treatments able to stop disease worsening for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), there is a need to identify a biological marker that can effectively and accurately measure progression. A biological marker is a material naturally found... Read the full article

Understanding the effect of cannabis use on cognition (memory, processing speed and executive function) in people affected by MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Summary : Cognitive dysfunction affects 40-80% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to greater difficulty in maintaining work, sustaining relationships, and pursing leisure activities. This study investigates whether withdrawal from cannabis use results in cognitive improvements. Background... Read the full article

MS Society of Canada announces $1 million in support of a collaborative project that promises to unravel the factors involved in disease progression in multiple sclerosis

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Project Summary: The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announces $1M for a collaborative team grant led by Dr. Jennifer Gommerman at the University of Toronto to study the molecular factors that govern multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. This project aims to shed light on how most people with relapsing-remitting... Read the full article

Development of an automated system guided by artificial intelligence that may accelerate discovery of drugs to repair damaged nerve cells

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Summary: MS Society funded researcher, Dr. Timothy Kennedy, McGill University, developed an automated self-guided system to better understand specialized cells in the central nervous system , called oligodendrocytes . Oligodendrocytes are critical because they produce a protective layer, myelin , around... Read the full article

A team of world-renowned researchers selected to establish the CANadian PROactive COhort Study for People Living with MS (CanProCo)

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Summary The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, along with partners Brain Canada, are excited to announce that a team of world-renowned researchers in multiple sclerosis (MS) were selected to begin work on the Canadian Prospective Cohort Study to Understand Progression in MS (CanProCo). Biogen is... Read the full article

MS Society of Canada launches vitamin D recommendations for MS

  • MS Society Funded

Summary The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has launched evidence-informed recommendations on vitamin D supplementation that can help people affected by MS make informed decisions about their health. These recommendations will provide information for at-risk populations and people diagnosed with... Read the full article

MS Society of Canada continues collaboration with the Centre for Drug Research and Development as new translational project on progressive MS is launched

  • MS Society Funded

The MS Society of Canada and Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) are excited to collaborate again to support a translational research project that could lead to the development of disease-modifying therapies for people living with progressive MS. Following a peer review process by experts... Read the full article

MS Society-funded researchers explore potential of an antioxidant compound to limit disease progression in mice with MS-like disease

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background: Inflammation and neurodegeneration are two characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS). These responses cause damage to the nerve cells in the brain, preventing the cells from communicating with one another and leading to the varying symptoms seen in individuals with MS. One process that... Read the full article

MS Society funds three new wellness studies that seek to provide more options for accessing physical activity for people living with MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Physical activity is an important priority for people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). In 2015, the MS Society of Canada posted the MS Wellness Survey , an online questionnaire designed to capture the voices of people living with MS about how they view wellness, what they do to achieve optimal wellness, Read the full article

Landmark MS Scientific Research Foundation funded study demonstrates that “rebooting” the immune system stops new disease and leads to recovery in people with aggressive multiple sclerosis

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Currently, disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) approved for multiple sclerosis (MS) appear to work by blunting the destructive autoimmune response that targets tissues in the central nervous system (CNS). For many individuals living with MS, DMTs offer measurable therapeutic benefits by suppressing... Read the full article

Researchers mine MS Scientific Research Foundation-funded biobank to discover a genetic mutation associated with an aggressive form of primary progressive MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

REVISION: June 3, 2016 Background The precise factors that cause multiple sclerosis continue to puzzle researchers today, although the prevailing view is that a combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors interacts to trigger the emergence of the disease. Over the past three decades, Read the full article

MS Society funds two new studies poised to bring laboratory discoveries one step closer to becoming treatments for progressive MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background The need to close the gap between discovery research in the laboratory and clinical trials, in order to accelerate the delivery of safe and effective treatments to people with multiple sclerosis is an urgent priority. In 2014 the MS Society of Canada formed a collaboration with the Centre... Read the full article

MS Society-funded study shows that nicotine reduces the invasion of harmful immune cells into the brain in mice with an MS-like disease

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background A substantial body of evidence suggests that smoking tobacco increases the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) and may even accelerate disease progression. On the other hand, nicotine, the ingredient in tobacco responsible for its addictive properties, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory... Read the full article

MS Society-funded postdoctoral fellow identifies a molecular switch that restrains the development of inflammatory immune cells

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when immune cells target and attack the central nervous system (CNS), causing inflammation and damage to both myelin (the protective covering around nerve fibers) and, eventually, nerve fibers as well. A leading agent in this inflammatory... Read the full article

New collaborative study funded by the MS Scientific Research Foundation will explore how the microbes in the gut influence MS in children and adolescents

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background The lush bacterial ecosystem in our intestines – referred to as the gut microbiome – has co-evolved with humans to give us the means to efficiently break down food and supply us with extracted energy and nutrients. Beyond its role in digestion, the gut microbiome has a profound impact on... Read the full article

MS Scientific Research Foundation funded multi-site study makes breakthrough in identifying type of white blood cell involved in MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Research into understanding and treating multiple sclerosis (MS) has largely been centered on a type of white blood cell known as the T cell or T lymphocyte. T cells are in charge of protecting the body against harmful infections, but in the case of MS T cells have been identified as important... Read the full article

MS Scientific Research Foundation-funded research draws links between exercise and disease severity in children living with MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Approximately 2 - 5 % of all cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) are diagnosed in children and adolescents. Although relatively uncommon, pediatric-onset MS differs from the adult form in that it is more aggressive; children have larger brain lesions and more frequent relapses than adults. It... Read the full article

MS Scientific Research Foundation funded study boosts efforts in pediatric MS research, implications for understanding adult-onset MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Before the launch of the Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Network in 2004, pediatric multiple sclerosis was under-recognized and poorly understood. The prevalence and impact of MS in children and adolescents was unknown, and how their MS differs from MS in adults was yet to be determined... Read the full article

MS Society-funded research uncovers new mechanism by which front-line MS therapeutic interferon-beta suppresses harmful inflammation

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background T-lymphocytes ( T-cells ) are a class of immune cell that fight infection. They are also one of the primary contributors to the development of MS. During an MS attack, myelin-reactive T-cells invade the  central nervous system (CNS) where they orchestrate and direct an autoimmune response... Read the full article

MS Society-funded fellow demonstrates the ability of the hormone prolactin, when combined with interferon-β, to reduce disease severity in animals with MS-like disease.

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background While we know that women living with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience fewer relapses during mid to late pregnancy or while breastfeeding, we are not sure why this occurs. One possibility lies with the hormone prolactin. Necessary for milk production, prolactin is at its highest levels... Read the full article

MSSRF-funded study demonstrates that proper myelin repair depends on the removal of myelin debris by specialized immune cells

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background The degradation of the  myelin sheath that surrounds nerves in the  central nervous system (CNS), an event referred to as  demyelination , is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis.  Remyelination is the body’s natural mechanism of repairing myelin, although this process is compromised during MS, Read the full article

MS Society-funded study puts to test a promising new target for MS treatment that has significant potential to stop neurodegeneration and promote recovery

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Standard medications that are available to treat MS work by  influencing the activity of the immune system . The development of these medications is based on the observation that MS is predominantly driven by an autoimmune response, in which the body’s natural defenses start to attack healthy... Read the full article

MS Scientific Research Foundation-supported study highlights puberty as a significant factor in development of multiple sclerosis

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Mounting evidence suggests that a number of biological, genetic, and environmental factors contribute to one’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). One of the more widely accepted factors is sex; females are reported to be three times more likely to develop MS than males, and this... Read the full article

MS Scientific Research Foundation-funded trial poised to explore promising new mesenchymal stem cell therapy in people with MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have recently garnered the attention of multiple sclerosis (MS) researchers for their remarkable ability to reduce harmful inflammation and promote healing of injured tissue. However, it is not currently known whether MSC can benefit people affected by MS, an... Read the full article

A comprehensive, nationwide MS Society-supported study provides clues about factors that contribute to living a long and healthy life with MS

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background: People with MS are living longer than in the past, likely attributable to a higher life expectancy in general and increasingly effective treatments for MS. Strategies for reducing disability and improving quality of life in later years have thus become of great interest, underlying the need... Read the full article

MS Society funded study assesses diagnostic criteria for CCSVI

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background: In June 2010, the National MS Society (USA) and the MS Society of Canada committed over $2.4 million to support seven new research projects that would gain further insight into the relationship between chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) and MS. One of these studies was led... Read the full article

Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation funded study advances understanding of risky but effective stem cell treatment

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Background – Stem cell therapies in MS Stem cells are unique cells in the body which possess the capability to ‘self-renew’, or replicate themselves, as well as develop into specialized cells which perform specific functions. These characteristics have identified stem cells as a potential treatment... Read the full article

CCSVI Case-Control Neurosonography Results Announced

  • MS Society Funded

Background: Determining the link between CCSVI and multiple sclerosis Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) has been a topic of active discussion over recent years. The association between CCSVI and MS, originally reported by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, MD from the University of Ferrara in Italy, Read the full article

Researchers reveal a dual-protective role of the Hedgehog pathway

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Summary A research team from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) provide further understanding of the method by which the blood brain barrier (BBB) works to avert attacks of the immune system on the brain. These findings which have been published in the prestigious journal Science... Read the full article

Neuroinflammation and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress are Co-regulated by Crocin to Prevent Demyelination and Neurodegeneration

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Summary Researchers from the University of Alberta have found that crocin, an active ingredient in the spice saffron, has a neuroprotective effect and may offer a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis. [André M. Deslauriers, Amir Afkhami-Goli, Amber M. Paul, Rakesh K. Bhat, Shaona Acharjee, Kristofor... Read the full article

Impaired neurosteroid synthesis in multiple sclerosis

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Summary Researchers at the University of Alberta discovered that the genes responsible for producing neurosteroids, which allow brain cells to communicate and enable cell repair and re-growth, are suppressed in people with MS. Increasing the level of these neurosteroids in the central nervous system... Read the full article

Calnexin Deficiency Leads to Dysmyelination

  • MS Society Funded

Summary Edmonton – Researchers have identified a gene that leads to a chain of events which impacts the speed at which messages are relayed in the nervous system. The work involved a team of researchers – throughout Alberta and around the world and was funded in part by the MS Society of Canada. Allison... Read the full article

MS Society of Canada commits $1 million for CCSVI clinical trial

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Toronto, Ontario - September 16, 2010 – The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada board of directors unanimously approved a motion to reserve $1 million for a chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) and MS pan-Canadian therapeutic clinical trial. The funding will be set aside so that an immediate... Read the full article

Acne medication may delay progress of multiple sclerosis

  • Canadian Study
  • MS Society Funded

Canadian researchers investigate common medication as alternative MS treatment Calgary, October 25, 2007 – A common acne medication that has been available for over 30 years has the potential to delay the progress of multiple sclerosis and if proven effective, will offer an inexpensive option for the... Read the full article

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