Stu's Views and MS Related News

New York, USA and North Brunswick, NJ, May 5, 2009 – Provid Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a drug discovery company, and Fast Forward, LLC, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s subsidiary devoted to bridging the gap between research and drug development, today announced a partnership to support Provid’s preclinical studies of PV-267. This novel compound is designed to redirect the abnormal immune response associated with multiple sclerosis (MS).

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National MS Society
Dec 12, 2008

Think Tank Examines How to Turn More Lab Discoveries into New Therapies for Progressive MS

What are the barriers to finding therapies that can stop and reverse the nervous system injury caused by multiple sclerosis? A think tank held by Fast Forward, LLC, the National MS Society’s drug discovery venture, in collaboration with Harvard’s NeuroDiscovery Center, gathered representatives from venture capital firms, voluntary health and patient advocacy groups, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and university-based research scientists to share information and ideas around this issue and ways to overcome them.

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information obtained from the National MS Society





Topics found below Include:
Treatment Challenges, Insights and Breakthroughs;
Reports on Emerging Therapies, Current Therapies, Possible MS Risk Factors;
More About MS in Children;
Progress Identifying Disease Predictors;
World Congress on MS: Late-Breaking News and Rehabilitation Strategies;
and More

Read to learn what was discussed at this MS event in Montreal on Friday and Saturday:

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Source: Nat'l MS Society

What if we could actually reverse the damage that MS causes, restoring function to those who have been living with the disease for years? MS occurs when the immune system attacks the myelin coating that insulates nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord; damage to nerve fibers—axons—also occurs, and underlies the progressive disability experienced by people with MS. The Nervous System Repair and Protection Initiative, funded through the Society’s Promise: 2010 Campaign, is bringing the dream of protecting and repairing brain tissue and restoring function within our grasp.

A specially convened National MS Society Task Force determined that the best way to speed up nerve tissue repair is to bring together experts in clinical trials and basic laboratory scientists to form partnerships. These teams could conduct all elements of the study from basic research to planning studies of neuroprotective drugs and repair strategies in people with MS.

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Published by: Nat'l MS Society on 8-13-2008

Data Center Chosen to Foster Research by National MS Society Pediatric Centers of Excellence

The network of Pediatric Centers of Excellence established by the National MS Society has chosen the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center at the University of North Carolina to coordinate and expedite its efforts to investigate MS in children. Although the centers have already begun conducting research investigations and presenting the results at international meetings, this center, chosen through a competitive application process, will establish the infrastructure necessary for larger, more comprehensive studies.

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Aug 19, 2008

Exploring Why Physical Activity is Reduced in People with MS: Society-funded Investigators Seek Participants

Investigators funded by the National MS Society are seeking people with MS to participate in a study exploring whether the frequency and severity of MS-related symptoms influence physical activity. Robert W. Motl, PhD (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and colleagues are tracking changes in activity over three years in 250 individuals with relapsing-remitting MS, a course of MS characterized by flare-ups followed by complete or partial remissions. This study could improve our knowledge of the factors that reduce physical activity in people with MS, and help design programs to increase it.

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Source: The National MS Society


This video webcast, the second of a two-part series, is entitled Hold That Thought! Cognition and MS - Management Strategies.

This program explores what we know about the relationship between multiple sclerosis and cognitive challenges, with an emphasis on cognitive rehabilitation. Key topics include:

CLICK to learn more of this teleconference

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MS Views and Related News
website: www.msviewsandrelatednews.com

Keeping you updated and informed with MS Related News and Information

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Article found in the Momentum Magazine Spring edition (formerly Inside MS), from the Nat'l MS Society **

MS not only stops people from moving, it can stop people from working.

Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, is a social insurance program funded through payroll taxes—a safety net for people whose disability has forced them to stop working. But getting SSDI is easier said than done.

In November the AARP Bulletin reported that the number of SSDI claims has doubled since 2001 and it can take years for a case to be reviewed. The average wait is 560 days for a hearing. In some areas—Atlanta, for instance—a person might wait as long as three years.

Society offers a new tool
As part of a larger effort to improve Social Security’s application and review processes, the National MS Society has developed a guidebook for people living with MS. It helps navigate the complex SSDI application process.

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Previously Posted - and now resurrected

Progress in Research > Research Highlights Winter/Spring 2007

. Promise 2010 Update: The MS Lesion Project .
Is MS More Than One Disease?


People with MS have known it all along there is wide variety in this disease. This variety may actually stem from biological differences, and if researchers can determine the nature of these differences and possibly identify different causes of the disease it would change the way we diagnose and treat MS.


Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti (Mayo Clinic) is the lead investigator for the Promise: 2010 international research collaboration called The MS Lesion Project. The team is studying damaged areas (lesions) in the brains of individuals with MS for clues to different patterns of destructive immune factors.


Dr. Lucchinetti and a team of renowned researchers from the U.S., Germany and Austria have made excellent progress. (Details on "IS MS more than One disease")


Earlier, the team found four distinct types of lesions that differed in the pattern of myelin loss and in the activity of immune cells and proteins. Within an individual, the lesion pattern is the same, but can differ between individuals. This suggests lesion patterns may relate to disease type and to treatment outcomes.


“We are now determining if these different lesion patterns appear differently on MRI,” explained Dr. Lucchinetti. “If this proves to be so, then in the future we may be able to determine the lesion pattern through MRI scanning without having to take a biopsy.”


Analyses of these tissue samples have already resulted in scores of new findings published in respected, international journals. A recent paper came out with a surprising finding: that a substantial amount of natural myelin repair can occur in people with MS across most types and stages of the disease. Further research is required to uncover factors that determine why some individuals show highly efficient myelin repair while others do not.

To encourage innovative research into highly promising areas and to improve MS patient care, the National MS Society launched the Promise: 2010 Campaign. This nationwide effort fueled by local MS chapters will raise at least $30 million to fund four targeted areas that hold great potential in the fight against the devastating effects of MS, but which have so far been under-explored.

Read all to do with the Promise 2010 Campaign by clicking here