Now
fight off the virus (Journal of
Autoimmunity 2011;36:142).
The team is exploring its
findings further, as they shed
new light on how an immune
attack may result from viral
infection.
Raising the bar
When researching viruses and
other risk factors, it’s important
to study large numbers of people
for a long time. Emmanuelle
Waubant, PhD (University of
California at San Francisco),
is leading a nationwide study
in which 640 children who
have early MS or are at high
risk for the disease are being
followed for four years to
determine how viruses and
other environmental and genetic
risk factors make children
susceptible to developing MS.
Their results will be compared
with those from 1,280 children
without MS. The five-year,
$3.2 million grant from the
NIH is based on data collected
by the Society’s Network of
Pediatric Centers of Excellence,
which showed that in children,
certain viruses were associated
with MS risk (Neurology
2011;76:1989–1995).
These and other studies are
getting us closer to determining
what causes MS by identifying
triggering factors, thereby
increasing the possibility of
preventing MS. Read more
about what causes MS on our
website: nationalMSsociety
.org/Causes. n
In the news and on our website
Fast Forward partners
to prevent MS disability
Fast Forward LLC, the Society’s
commercially focused drug
development enterprise, is
partnering with Merck Serono
to support Axxam SpA, a
company that is developing
compounds to help prevent
disability in MS. Early studies
show that blocking CLIC1—a
small protein in certain brain
cells—may protect nerve
cells from damage. Axxam
SPA is developing a cutting-edge method of screening
for molecules that can block
CLIC1, which can then undergo
further testing. This work could
lay the groundwork for new
ways to protect against nervous
system damage in MS.
Gilenya prescription
information revised
Prescription information for
the oral MS therapy Gilenya
(fingolimod, Novartis) has
been revised to define who
should avoid using it. The
recommendation will be based
on a person’s pre-existing
medical conditions, and updates
recommended testing and
heart monitoring that occurs
when the first dose is given.
The revision was made after
independent safety reviews
initiated by the agencies when
deaths had been reported among
patients taking Gilenya. Read
more at
nationalMSsociety.org/
gilenya.
Misdiagnosing MS
A diagnosis of MS sometimes
occurs in people who are
later found to not have the
disease. A team at Oregon
Health and Science University
evaluated survey results from
122 doctors specializing in
MS to find out why and how
often this happens. The results
showed that 95 percent of
the survey respondents had
encountered at least one patient
who had been misdiagnosed
with MS. An editorial that
accompanies the study’s
publication recommends that
physicians perform thoughtful
and complete assessments of
symptoms and laboratory results
when making a diagnosis,
and that there should be a
high level of confidence in the
diagnosis before a person goes
on long-term disease-modifying
therapies. n
Read more news
and details of
these stories at
nationalMSsociety
.org/bulletins.
