John Williamson will receive the Silver Hope Award, the highest honor presented by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society on Tuesday, June 11 at Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke. A VIP reception for the honoree, co-chairs and vice chairs will begin at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., Williamson will be toasted by Warner Dalhouse, and Harvey Brookins will present the Silver Hope Award. Master of Ceremonies will be Nicholas Conte. The MS Dinner of Champions honors outstanding community leaders as it raises funds for MS research, advocacy, and regional programs, and provides public education about multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and the body. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with the disease. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being … Continue reading →

Researchers have developed whats being hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, a crippling autoimmune disease that attacks the outer sheath of nerve cells, eventually disabling many of those with the neurological condition. The new treatment involves sweeping away immune system cells responsible for MS. In multiple sclerosis, immune system white blood cells, called T cells, become misdirected, attacking the protective myelin sheath on the outside of nerve cells. In healthy individuals, T cells or leukocytes are responsible for destroying tumor cells or those infected with a virus. Myelin speeds the transmission of nerve impulses from the brain and spinal cord to limbs and the optic nerves, which also are insulated with myelin. When the myelin is destroyed, motor neuronal impulses are blocked, resulting in severe disability and blindness in many people with multiple sclerosis. Worldwide, an estimated 2.5 million people are affected by MS. U.S. and German researchers have developed a therapy that stops the autoimmune attack against myelin in its tracks without impairing the normal function of the immune system, according to Stephan Miller, a microbiologist and immunologist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Miller says the experimental treatment targets T cells in the brain … Continue reading →

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials;Immune System / Vaccines Article Date: 06 Jun 2013 - 2:00 PDT Current ratings for: MS Treatment That Resets Immune System Shows Promise In Safety Trial 3.5 (4 votes) Another important result is that the therapy does not appear to affect the immune system's ability to defend against infection. Current therapies for MS suppress the entire immune system, leaving patients more vulernable to everyday infections and higher rates of cancer. The results of the phase 1 trial showed the therapy was safe and well tolerated and also reduced immune system reactivity to myelin by 50 to 75%, say the researchers. "The therapy stops autoimmune responses that are already activated and prevents the activation of new autoimmune cells," says co-senior author Stephen Miller in a statement. Miller is the Judy Gugenheim Research Professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago in the US. As the myelin is gradually destroyed, patients experience symptoms ranging from mild numbness in the limbs to paralysis or blindness. In this study, the researchers used patients' own white blood cells to reset their immune system so it stops … Continue reading →