Teenage Mono Infection Linked to Higher Risk of Multiple Sclerosis Later in Life
A new long‑term study linking teenage infectious mononucleosis to a three‑fold increase in multiple sclerosis risk was conducted by researchers at Moderna and the Mayo Clinic using Rochester Epidemiology Project data. The analysis covered over two decades of health records, comparing thousands diagnosed with Epstein‑Barr virus‑related mono to matched controls. Even after adjusting for smoking, socioeconomic status and comorbidities, the mono cohort showed a markedly higher incidence of MS. The findings reinforce the hypothesis that EBV infection plays a pivotal role in MS development and highlight vaccine potential.
Roche Launches New Elevidys Trial to Address EU Rejection in Duchenne Therapy Bid
Roche has launched a new global phase 3 trial of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys, targeting ambulatory boys after the European Medicines Agency rejected its earlier submission. The study will enroll about 100 patients and compare Elevidys to...
Anavex Withdraws EU Application for Alzheimer’s Drug Blarcamesine
Anavex Life Sciences has withdrawn its European marketing authorisation application for blarcamesine, a small‑molecule therapy aimed at early Alzheimer’s disease, after the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use concluded in December 2025 that the drug’s benefits did not...
New Surgical Robot Introduced in Newcastle to Advance Precision Neurosurgery
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has installed the ExcelsiusGPS surgical robot, becoming the first UK centre to use this technology for neurosurgery. The platform delivers sub‑millimetre accuracy, integrating a robotic arm, 3D imaging and a screen‑based interface to aid complex...
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Tividenofusp Alfa for Neurologic Hunter Syndrome
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to tividenofusp alfa, sold as Avlayah, as the first enzyme‑replacement therapy that crosses the blood‑brain barrier for neurologic Hunter syndrome. The drug combines iduronate‑2‑sulfatase with a transport protein to reach both...
FDA Approves Higher Dose Nusinersen for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
The FDA has approved a higher‑dose regimen of nusinersen (Spinraza) for spinal muscular atrophy, updating both the loading and maintenance phases. The new schedule delivers two larger injections two weeks apart, followed by maintenance doses every four months. Approval follows...
Persistent Epstein-Barr Antibodies May Support MS Diagnosis
Researchers published in JAMA Neurology found that persistently elevated Epstein‑Barr virus (EBV) antibodies, specifically against EBNA‑1, appear in 96 % of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients but are rare in other neuroinflammatory diseases. The study analyzed about 2,000 patients with neurological conditions...
Scotland Pilots Newborn Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Scotland has launched a two‑year pilot to add spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to its routine newborn heel‑prick screening, becoming the first UK nation to do so. The program targets the roughly three to four infants born with SMA each year,...
APOE4 Variant Linked to Greater Neurological Damage in Multiple Sclerosis
A UK Biobank study of 188 multiple sclerosis patients reveals that carriers of the APOE4 gene variant experience significantly greater neurodegeneration than non‑carriers. APOE4 carriers showed higher blood levels of neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein, more extensive...
Neurologist Ludwig Kappos Awarded Dystel Prize for MS Research Advances
Neurologist Ludwig Kappos received the 2026 John Dystel Prize, a $40,000 award jointly presented by the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology. The honor will be conferred at the AAN annual meeting in Chicago, where he will...
Exeter Study Explores Social Camouflaging in Acquired Brain Injury
University of Exeter researchers have launched a study to determine whether people living with acquired brain injury (ABI) employ social camouflaging strategies. Led by MSc student Faye Brookes and Associate Professor Anna Adlam, the project will use a 20‑30 minute...
Tick-Borne Encephalitis Study Identifies ABCG1 as Potential Target for Future Treatments
Researchers at the Medical University of Graz conducted one of the largest genome‑wide association studies on tick‑borne encephalitis (TBE), analyzing about 1,600 patients from multiple European nations. The study pinpointed variants in the cholesterol‑transport gene ABCG1 as a genetic risk...
Restless Legs Syndrome Risk Higher in People with Multiple Sclerosis, Study Finds
A Spanish study of 440 MS patients and 241 matched controls found restless legs syndrome (RLS) twice as common in MS. Confirmed RLS prevalence was 15.2% among MS patients versus 7.9% in controls. Pyramidal symptoms and family history raised RLS...
CHMP Backs Expanded Indications for Uplizna in NMOSD, IgG4-RD and gMG
On 11 December 2025 the EMA’s CHMP issued a positive opinion to extend Uplizna’s (inebilizumab) marketing authorisation to three additional autoimmune conditions: neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), immunoglobulin G4‑related disease (IgG4‑RD) and generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). The recommendation designates Uplizna as monotherapy for...
European Survey Highlights Gaps in Care for Women with Hormonal Migraine
A European Migraine and Headache Alliance survey of 5,410 women revealed major gaps in diagnosing and treating hormonally linked migraine. Forty‑two percent of respondents had never received a formal diagnosis, and 35% reported that doctors never discussed their symptoms. While...