New MS cell therapy safely retrains immune system to tolerate myelin
Modified patient blood shields nerves from autoimmune attacks in trial
Written by |
Red blood cells coupled with myelin protein fragments serve as the basis for a novel cell therapy aimed at reducing autoimmune attacks in MS. (Image from iStock)
- MS is an autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, the protective sheath surrounding nerve cells.
- An experimental cell therapy pairs a patient's red blood cells with myelin fragments to safely retrain the immune system to tolerate myelin.
- Early clinical trial results show the treatment is well tolerated, increases regulatory T-cells, and reduces blood markers associated with nerve damage.
A new experimental cell therapy that pairs a patient’s own red blood cells with myelin protein fragments safely calmed the immune system and helped dampen the inflammatory attack that drives multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results from an early-stage clinical trial.
The novel approach works by retraining the body’s immune system to recognize myelin as friendly rather than a target. By promoting immune tolerance specifically to myelin, the treatment aims to control disease activity without causing broad immune suppression.
Trial results showed that the cell therapy was well tolerated, increased key immune-regulating cells, and reduced a blood marker associated with nerve damage.
The work was led by scientists at the University of Zurich (UZH) in Switzerland. Several of the researchers have co-founded a company called Cellerys to further develop this approach.
Restoring immune tolerance in MS
“This would make it possible to suppress this autoimmune disease in a very targeted manner and without major side effects,” Andreas Lutterotti, MD, the study’s corresponding author and a co-founder of Cellerys, said in a news story from UZH. “This approach can also be applied to many of the more than one hundred autoimmune diseases.”
The study, “Treatment of multiple sclerosis with peptide-coupled red blood cells induces antigen-specific T regulatory cells,” was published in PNAS.
In the immune system, which protects the body from infections, anything recognized as a normal part of the body is left alone, while things that are not may be seen as potential threats and attacked. The immune system’s ability to recognize and avoid attacking the body’s own tissues is known as immune tolerance.
Autoimmune diseases are characterized by a breakdown of immune tolerance, leading the immune system to mistakenly attack healthy parts of the body. MS is specifically driven by an immune attack that targets myelin, a fatty substance that normally protects nerve cells and helps them send electrical signals.
Retraining the immune system to recognize myelin as safe could theoretically restore immune tolerance and stop disease progression.
In this study, researchers tested an approach to do this using red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen through the bloodstream.
How the treatment works
Red blood cells have a short lifespan and are continuously replaced by the body. At the same time, there are biological systems in place to dispose of the pieces of broken-down red blood cells. These systems also play a role in regulating the immune system and maintaining immune tolerance, helping prevent the body from mounting an inappropriate immune response against its own red blood cells.
This new approach takes advantage of these features. Essentially, the treatment works by collecting a patient’s red blood cells, then attaching small pieces of myelin that are known to be targeted by the immune system in MS. The myelin-coupled red blood cells are then transfused back into the patient. As blood cells break down naturally, myelin fragments are swept up by the same disposal system that helps regulate immune tolerance. This presents myelin to the immune system in a way that promotes tolerance, essentially teaching the immune system to stop attacking it.
Cellerys sponsored a Phase 1b clinical trial (NCT06430671) that assessed the safety of this treatment strategy in 10 people with MS. The results indicated that the therapy was generally safe and well tolerated.
At the same time, immunological data indicated that the treatment increased the levels of regulatory T-cells, which are immune cells that play a key role in maintaining immune tolerance.
Clinical and imaging readouts remained generally stable throughout the study. Researchers observed a reduction in the levels of neurofilament light chain, a marker of nerve damage, “indicating reduced tissue inflammation in the brain.”
Overall, the researchers concluded that this approach is a “promising autologous cell therapy for achieving antigen-specific immune tolerance in MS.” Cellerys is further developing this treatment approach under the name CLS12311.
Leave a comment
Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published.