Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

The Illness Challenge Foundation (ICF) sponsored the second annual Asia-Pacific NMOSD Patient Day in Beijing, China, to increase awareness and improve care for those living with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The May 25 event brought together NMOSD patients, neurologists and other healthcare professionals, and representatives from a variety…

Treatment with Uplizna (inebilizumab-cdon) can reduce disability progression in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), findings from the N-MOmentum clinical trial show. The results were published in Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, in a study, “Disability Outcomes in the N-MOmentum Trial of Inebilizumab in Neuromyelitis…

Soliris (eculizumab) significantly reduced the risk of disease relapses in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) over nearly three years, according to new data from the clinical trial PREVENT and its extension study. Additional findings project that long-term Soliris treatment may reduce relapse risk over the course of…

Using a live cell-based assay to test for the presence of aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-IgG) can accurately identify people who have neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), new research suggests. Scientists said the cell-based assay was “a highly specific diagnostic biomarker of NMOSD and did not yield false positive results.” These findings…

In summer 2014, 22-year-old Connor Judge was working as a landscaper when he experienced unusual pain in his legs and back. At first, the symptoms were presumed to be related to his landscaping work; visits to a few general practitioners were unremarkable. Then, on Aug. 29,…

An improved understanding of the biological processes that drive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) has led to treatment advancements in recent years. In a presentation at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2021, Sean Pittock, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for…

In most people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) coordinate a complex series of immune activities that drive the disease. Better understanding of these disease-causing mechanisms may help in efforts to find new treatments for NMOSD patients. These mechanisms were explained in the lecture, “…

At an educational seminar next month, experts will discuss advances in the diagnosis and care of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how it is affecting the NMOSD community.  Sponsored by the…

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with difficulty swallowing are more likely to have clinical signs of brain involvement and more extensive disability, a small study suggests. Measures of a patient’s difficulty with swallowing could be used to indirectly assess brain involvement in NMOSD and the related disorder…

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) have similar knowledge and attitudes about COVID-19 as the overall population, an Iranian study suggests. The findings highlight several areas where better education about COVID-19 is warranted, the researchers wrote. Their study, “Assessment of mental health, knowledge, and attitude…