MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MS Pain Research, Myelin Studies, Antibody Trial

MS Patients Sought to Test Alternative Chronic Pain Treatment Methods

Do you have serious pain issues along with your MS? If so, you might be interested in this study that’s looking for participants. By the way, who says that pain isn’t an MS symptom?

A clinical trial funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is recruiting adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to test two nonpharmacological strategies to manage MS-related chronic pain.

The trial (NCT03782246) will be conducted at the University of Washington, and plans to enroll about 250 participants across the United States who have been diagnosed with MS and also have chronic pain.

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Altered Oligodendrocyte Diversity Contributes to Multiple Sclerosis, Study Suggests

Lots of treatments are aimed at halting MS progress and improving some symptoms, but repair of our damaged myelin has always seemed beyond the reach of researchers. I hope that this discovery moves them a little closer to the day when treatment of demyelination becomes a reality.

Subpopulations of oligodendrocytes — cells that produce the myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers — are altered in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. These findings suggest that oligodendrocyte diversity and the different functions of these subpopulations might have a greater role in the disease than previously thought.

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The research article, “Altered human oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Nature.

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Chi3l3 Protein Favors Production of Myelin Repair Cells, Mouse Study Determines

This is another study involving myelin-forming oligodendrocytes, the same type of cell that’s being studied in the previous story.

A protein marker for activated immune cells called Chi3l3 is key for the production of myelin-forming cells, and may become a target to boost myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study.

The research, “Chi3l3 induces oligodendrogenesis in an experimental model of autoimmune neuroinflammation,” was published in the journal Nature Communications.

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Positive Safety Data Reported for High-dose MS Treatment Candidate Temelimab

The study of another monoclonal antibody therapy is at an early stage. This medication, temelimab (GNbAC1), appears to block inflammation and may also restore myelin. But it’s just a Phase 1 study. It’s an interesting read, but we’re still far away from this potential treatment becoming a reality.

GeNeuro has reported positive data from a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT03574428) evaluating the safety and tolerability of high doses of GNbAC1, developed for the treatment of neurological and autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS).

The company also announced that the World Health Organization has assigned the international nonproprietary name “temelimab” to GNbAC1.

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