News Heparin for MD Myelin Repair to Be Studied in United Kingdom Heparin for MD Myelin Repair to Be Studied in United Kingdom by Patricia Silva, PhD | October 13, 2016 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link The MS SocietyĀ in the United Kingdom is funding a new project at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland,Ā to examine if Ā heparin, a drug widely used for stroke patients, can repair neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a progressive, debilitating, immune-mediated, neurodegenerative disorder in which the myelin sheath that covers and insulatesĀ neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) becomes damaged due to inflammation. The damage disrupts the nervous system’s ability to communicate, which results in a range of physical,Ā mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems. The new study, funded with 150,000 poundsĀ (aboutĀ $183,000 U.S.), from the MS Society U.K., will investigate if a modified low-sulphated form of heparin can reduce the myelin damage seen in MS. Heparin is an anticoagulant (blood thinner). If the study outcome is encouraging,Ā researchers will further investigate if the modified version of heparin could be moved into clinical trials for MS. The research will run until the end of 2018. Prof. Sue Barnett from the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation will lead the research project, in collaboration with Prof. Jerry Turnbull at the University of Liverpool. Dr. Sorrel Bickley, head of Biomedical Research at the MS Society, called the project “exciting.” āMore than 100,000 people are living with MS in the UK and weāre working to ensure they have a range of effective treatment options available to them. Forms of heparin have been used as medicines for years, so if this type proves to be effective it could go through clinical trials more quickly than other drugs,” Bickley said in aĀ news release. Researchers had previously found that the heparin derivative is able to stimulate the growth of myelin. āWeāve already shown that low-sulphated heparin can encourage the growth of protective myelin in a dish, and now want to test whether it can help repair myelin around living nerve cells in MS-like conditions,” Barnett said. According to the MS Society, about 5,000 people in the U.K. are newly diagnosed with the condition each year. In perspective, the numbers indicate that one in every 600 citizens has MS. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Silva, PhD PatrĆcia holds a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal. Her work in academia was mainly focused on molecular biology and the genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites. PatrĆcia earned several travel awards to present her work at international scientific meetings. She is a published author of several peer-reviewed science articles. Tags MS Society, myelin, U.K.
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