People testing negative for self-reactive antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgGs) — the type of antibody most commonly linked to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) — rarely become positive for these antibodies on subsequent tests. These are the findings of a real-world study in the U.S. involving 451 people suspected of…

Higher blood levels of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are significantly associated with shrinkage in certain brain regions of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who have antibodies against the AQP4 protein, a study showed. This association was not observed in people with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated…

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who test positive for self-reactive antibodies against the aquaporin 4 (AQP4) protein are more likely to be women, and have an earlier disease onset and more relapses than those who test negative. That’s according a single-center study in Argentina that also showed…

CCL2, a signaling protein that recruits immune cells to sites of injury, may play a key role in driving the nerve damage that results from antibodies against the aquaporin-4 (AQP4) protein in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study suggests. The signaling protein was found to be elevated in…

A European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee has recommended that Ultomiris (ravulizumab) be approved to treat adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who are positive for antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4). The recommendation, from the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), will now be reviewed by the European…

The activation of two types of immune cells — called natural killer (NK) and natural killer T-cells (NKT) — may contribute to the abnormal immune attacks that drive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study suggested. The profile of these cells in NMOSD patients differed notably from that observed…

Among people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who started treatment with Uplizna (inebilizumab-cdon) in a clinical trial, an early and strong reduction in B-cell counts was associated with a quicker decline in disease activity. This report comes from an analysis of data from the Phase 2/3…

Self-reactive antibodies that cause most cases of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are released directly from immune B-cells in lymph nodes as opposed to cells in the bloodstream, a study has discovered. These findings implicate ongoing lymph node activity as the main driver of disease-causing antibody production in NMOSD.

Giving immunosuppressive therapy to patients with antibodies against aquaporin-4 protein (AQP4) and optic neuritis but no symptoms may help resolve observed lesions and prevent a relapse of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a case report suggests. The case study, “Radiologically isolated aquaporin-4 antibody neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder,” was…

Long-term treatment with Uplizna (inebilizumab-cdon) safely and effectively reduced the frequency of attacks in the 12 neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients who were negative for antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) in the N-MOmentum Phase 2/3 trial. Future, appropriately-controlled studies are needed to confirm Uplizna’s benefits in this subgroup…