Two months ago we floated the concept of doing a UK-wide seroprevalence study in UK residents with MS to see how many had seroconverted to become anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive and to see if there are differences in seroconversion rates between people on different DMTs. The motivation was based on a prediction that people with MS on ocrelizumab would have lower titres of anti-SARS-CoV-2...
The central nervous system (CNS) features mechanisms to protect against untoward inflammation yet allowing immune surveillance for pathogens. Pappalardo et al. profiled T cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of healthy individuals and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using single-cell RNA and TCR sequences to define CNS immune homeostasis in both healthy and patients with MS. In...
As you might have captured in one of my preceding blog posts, I’m relatively new to the MS research blog. There is a logical explanation for this: I only started to work at BartsMS in November 2019. With the purpose of converting me in an MS-ologist, I was one of the fortunate people to receive a clinical fellowship grant from the European MS association ‘ECTRIMS’. The preceding ten...
Barts-MS rose-tinted-odometer: zero-★’s It became clear to me at least 6 years ago that we need to go beyond NEDA (no evident disease activity) when treating MS and we have to focus on protecting the end-organ, i.e. normalising the brain volume loss that occurs in people with MS (pwMS). To do this you really need to diagnose and treat MS as effectively as possible early on. From a research...
ProfG has been banging-on about “Treat early and effectively to save brain”, until he is blue in the face….So much so, that he has turned into a Smurf Sadly there are still many of his colleagues that don’t buy into this… and follow the mantra of “There….There, we’ll get ya a nice wheel chair” The vast majority of neuros and pharma bods still...
Barts-MS rose-tinted-odometer: ★★★★★ In anticipation of a second-lockdown at a meeting with colleagues last night I was asked the question about what positive experiences I could reflect on from the first lockdown. Firstly, no international travel and a focus on family, home life and the realisation that we can live more sustainably. Secondly, walking or running the talk. I decided to take my own...
Last weekend marked the eightieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain. In 1940, many planes were shot down in flames. Whilst this can happen to planes, this can also happen to ideas. Some of them take some time to be shot down, but sometimes they it takes less time. Who would have thought that some are shot down before they take off! This is super scientific so read on if interested OK not alot...
An interesting presentation from this years MSVirtual2020 was presentation by Dr Beatrice Wasser on ‘GlcNac signalling to reduce T cell pathogenicity in MS’. Abstract Background: Both adaptive and innate immune cells infiltrate the CNS during multiple sclerosis (MS) and in its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Pathogenic T cells are known as key drivers of...
Last week, I sat down and watched this year’s virtual joint ECTRIMS/ACTRIMS Congress – the world’s largest annual conference dedicated to multiple sclerosis. Over three days, nearly two hundred leading MS clinicians, scientists and health care professionals appeared on the screen presenting the latest research and treatment on the disease. Most of them, I noticed, were White. Not...
As you all know natlaizumab is typically dosed at 4 week intervals = standard dose interval. This stops lymphocytes and probably monocytes entering the brain and so stops immune survellience of the brain, exposing people to risks of brain infection with JC virus that causes PML By extending the interval to 6 weeks (extended dosing interval = EDI). This seems to reduce the risk of PML without...
I haven’t done one of these for a while. The CoOVID-19 publication epidemic has continued at a rate of knots and there is lots of stuff to give us a laugh. So you may not be surprised that COVID-19 in the UK and USA has made us rush to the drinks cabinet Problem drinking before and during the COVID-19 crisis in US and UK adults: Evidence from two population-based longitudinal studies...