have bookmarked the database ... Well done on setting up a NPO for this cause! I've long since believed that something similar would be a good idea for ME/CFS and especially for Long-Covid, since patients and doctors aren't aware of many of the trials happening and on the other hand many trials are struggling with decent patient recruitment.
Sorry for my delayed response, been working on something big with my NPO team at Solving MS,
Immediate Release: July 25, 2023
SOLVING MS ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR GROUNDBREAKING HARVARD EBV CLINICAL TRIAL
Solving MS, a patient-led nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research and finding effective treatments that have restorative effects and neuroprotection for Multiple Sclerosis, is proud to announce its collaboration with Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital in funding a groundbreaking biomarker Clinical Trial (NCT05957913) focused on utilizing TDF (Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate) to possibly reduce EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) viral load as evidenced in the saliva of Multiple Sclerosis patients.
We believe that through innovative research and collaboration, tangible progress can be made in the fight against EBV as a cause of Multiple Sclerosis. By supporting this groundbreaking Clinical Trial, Solving MS remains committed to improving the lives of MS patients and bringing us closer to a future free from the burden of this chronic disease.
Link for the full Press Release
https://www.solvingms.org/news
SolvingMS.org
Facebook MS Research Study Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/solvingms
Facebook Business Page:
https://www.facebook.com/solvingms/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SolvingMS
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Dr. Levy's 4 month biomarker trial is simple and inexpensive, It should set an example for all the other illnesses like ME/CFS and Long Covid, which like MS, are suspected if being driven by latent/lytic EBV. It will answer the question if the Tenofovir TDF (Truvada) antiretroviral has an effect or not on the EBV measured in blood and saliva tests. They included a fatigue test to capture an efficacy effect. This trial is to provide support for the larger phase 2 trial of Tenofovir TAF (Vemlidy) trial was turned down for funding citing insufficeint preclinical evidence.
what do those MS researchers or patients say that believe in a different mechanism? Do they try to explain Ascherio's research or just nod it of by saying it hasn't been reproduced?
Aceptance of Alberto Asherio's study of 10 million servis members over 20 years is hard to refute, but acceptance among MS neurologists is still mixed.
MS Australia has partnered with Australian research teams in five successful bids for government funding for research into the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in MS, totalling almost $10 million.
This could change the minds of those who reject the EBV causes MS idea. It will also add replication to the Harvard EBV antiviral trials, because Australi is ALso going to trial 2 antivirals. Which ones will be announced soon.
How are patient self experiments with things like generic versions of TAF or Lamivudine going?
There are some EBV-aware MS neurologists who have given scripts to MS patients for the more potent TAF (Vemlidy). I know 6 whom I'm tracking and are showing improvement; most notable a long term progressive MS patient who at 2 months has quit her wheelchair and gone back to a walker in the house, and quit taking Tylenol and 4 gabapentin a day beecause her neuropathic pain is gone! Some of these neurologists will write case studies.
The EBV research is pretty dead when it comes to ME/CFS and even Long-Covid. Realistically this would probably only change if mAB's for EBV became available
The current mABs used for MS like Ocrevus and Rituxan are effective because they reduce EBV to some extent when they deplete B cells where the laten EBV is. But the Rituxan trial failed for ME/CFS, right? What is the concensus now on EBV in ME/CFS? It seems the reports on Tenofovir have died down in this forum, is it not working? There is a new therapy that just completed phase 2 trial for EBV in MS with very good results,
Frexalimab . And Kesimpta is getting rave reviewes on effectiveness from MS patients, It's already approved, a gentler B cell depletor that spares the B cells in the spleen so less infection risk. It is a monthly sub q injection instead of every 6 month infusion like Rituxan.
From what I've read it's quite likely that there will be an MS treatment in 3-5 years (which doesn't have to mean remylination), do you think this is realistic? What are your thoughts about Temelimab?
For when the MS therapies in trials will get approved, see the
Solving MS database.
Click the link or picture on this page to go to the database. On the bottom click Trial Finder tab and look at column 7 Prescribe Phase 4. That the year it could reach patients. Soonest at the top by 2026 is Immunic's Vidofludimus Calcium which has a stong antiviral effect of EBV and has stopped prgression in interim results. So yes everythin is 3-10 years away. In the profile I wrote for
Antivirals for EBV in MS, I suggest that Tenofovir could serve as an off-label stop gap medication that would hold us over until these others get here. Some of these trials are for remyelination, but the details like modality, method of action etc are on the All Therapies tab bottom of page. Temelimab hasn't progressed, not sure why.
have bookmarked the database ... Well done on setting up a NPO for this cause! I've long since believed that something similar would be a good idea for ME/CFS and especially for Long-Covid, since patients and doctors aren't aware of many of the trials happening and on the other hand many trials are struggling with decent patient recruitment.
It's not too hard to setup a tracking database like I did, It would be a good way to track all the therapies ME/CFS and long covid patients are trying, even if not in tirals yet. I was relational database designer for 15 years before MS left me disabled at 37. But for this with a short record set and no need for extensive searching other than Ctrl+F for keywords, I just used google sheets. Then for the profile documents just link to google docs. This was the best thing I could come up with, to keep my brain from exploding trying to keep track of all the research and trials.
I hope this gives y'all some ideas on how to advance the situation for everyonesuffering from these fatiguing diseases. If EBV is the culprit, the antiviral trials for MS should translate.