August 22, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study shows mechanisms that help immune cells get into brain in MS Researchers have shed new light on the molecular mechanisms that help immune cells get into the brain to drive inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS). Two proteins called MMP-9 and MMP-2 were found to break down some components of the barrier that keeps immune cells out of the brain, helping…
March 28, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Key to Unlocking Blood-brain Barrier Discovered in Mouse Study A team of researchers has discovered that the key to bypassing the blood-brain barrier ā a semipermeable border that protects the brain against toxins in the blood but also blocks potential treatments ā is the Unc5B receptor in the endothelial cells that line the tiny blood vessels in the brain.
July 12, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Anti-inflammatory Molecule Can Pass Brain Barrier, May Treat MS A potential anti-inflammatory treatment, xB3-IL-1RA was able to reach the central nervous system of a rodent model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), and with repeat doses delay disease onset and ease clinical symptoms, according to the investigational therapy’s developer Bioasis Technologies. These findings support the utility of Bioasisā xB3 peptide…
May 25, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Prize Awarded to Researcher of Microgliaās Role in Brain Diseases A professor at the University of Freiburg, in Germany,Ā was awarded the Novo Nordisk Prize for his research into the role of microglia in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer’s disease, and how they might be used as early warning signs of these disorders. Marco Prinz, MD,…
February 26, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD #ACTRIMS2021 – Research Examines T-cells’ Anti-inflammatory Potential Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25ā27. GoĀ hereĀ to see the latest stories from the conference. Regulatory immune cells expressing the melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) dampen inflammation at sites of nerve damage in…
January 11, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cancer Therapy Seen to Protect Blood-brain Barrier, Ease MS in Mouse Model Imatinib, a cancer treatment, stopped an injury response mechanism of the central nervous system (CNS) from activating, damage to which is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), an early study reported. Treatment with imatinib lessened immune cell infiltration and eased disease progression in mouse models of MS. Study researchers…
June 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Blood Factors Impair Metabolism of Blood-brain Barrier in MS, Study Suggests Molecules in the blood of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients promote a pro-inflammatory state and impair the metabolism and integrity of the blood-brain barrier, a study suggests. In MS, the disruption of the blood-brain barrierĀ (BBB)Ā ā a highly selective and protective membrane ā allows immune cells to reach the central nervous…
April 23, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Monocytes May Be Better, Safer Targets for MS Therapies, Study Suggests A subset of monocytesĀ (a type of immune cells) that can infiltrate the central nervous system and drive nerve cell damage in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be a better target for preventing disease progression than the cells of the immune system that are currently targeted with MS therapies,…
March 3, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – IL-13 May Be ‘Attractive’ Target for Easing Inflammation in MS A signaling molecule of the immune system called interleukin 13 (IL-13) may modulate the function of key immune cells involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), and their migration through the barrier that protects the brain and spinal cord. IL-13 is an “attractive molecule” and a potential avenue for treating MS,…
November 19, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Blocking Molecule Prevents B-cells from Entering Brain and Promoting MS Progression, Study Reports Stopping the migration of immune B-cells through the blood-brain barrier by blocking ALCAM, a molecule linked to the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), lessened disease severity in an MS mouse model, a new study shows. Details of the discovery were reported…
August 21, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Immune System Molecule IL-17A Likely Inflammatory Agent in RRMS, Study Says Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a molecule that mediates immune and inflammatory responses, likely promotes inflammation and tissue damage in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and should be considered a potential target for treating the disease, a study reports. The findings of the study, “IL-17A is associated with the breakdown of the…
June 17, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Human Blood-brain Barrier in a Chip, Created in the Lab, May Help Design New Therapies, Study Shows By tweaking stem cells in a laboratory, researchers were able to generate a model of the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) in a chip. The BBB is a highly selective barrier that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), allowing immune cells to reach the central nervous system and damage…
March 5, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Bacterial Epsilon Toxin Found in MS Patients Triggers MS Disease Features in Rodents The levels of epsilon toxin are increased in multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients, and its presence in laboratory rodents replicated some aspects of disease activity, according to data presented at the 4thĀ AnnualĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum. The researchers suggested that the epsilon…
December 17, 2018 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Inactivation of S1PR2 Protein Shows Therapeutic Potential in MS Mouse Model, Study Reports Inactivation of S1PR2, a cell surface protein, helps improve clinical disability and reduce demyelination in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), a condition similar to multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) in humans, a study shows. This finding suggests that therapies blocking S1PR2 could have the potential to treat MS. The…
November 27, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Homotaurine Compound May Be New Class of Treatment for MS, Mouse Study Suggests Homotaurine, a compound proven safe for humans in long-term clinical trials, has eased autoimmune responses, brain inflammation, and multiple sclerosis-like symptoms in a mouse model of the disease, a study has found. The findings represent proof-of-principle evidence that homotaurine may represent a new potential class…
October 22, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Antibody Targeting Clotting Factor Seen to Lessen Inflammation, Nerve Cell Damage in MS Model An antibody that blocks a blood-clotting factor from leaking into the brain was seen to lessen neuroinflammation and nerve cell damage in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimerās disease. Scientists developed an antibody that selectively inhibits the inflammation-triggering capacity of fibrin in…
June 6, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC2018 ā Inhibiting Oxidative Stress Enzyme Promotes Resealing of Blood-Brain Barrier in MS Mouse Model Inhibiting an oxidative stress enzyme called myeloperoxidase protects the blood-brain barrier in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), limiting the migration of immune cells and halting their attack on nerve cells, researchers have found. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier is a hallmark of various disorders, including MS, and when…
March 13, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD High Levels of Protein Can Disrupt Blood-Brain Barrier in MS, Study Finds High levels of a protein called calnexin in the brain may disrupt the blood-brain barrier of patients with multiple sclerosis, a Canadian study suggests. The finding could lead to new treatment strategies to prevent brain damage in MS. The research, āCalnexin is necessary for T cell…
March 8, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Increase in Blood-Brain Barrier Protein May Protect Against MS, Study Finds One way the body may protect itself from nerve cell inflammation is to have cells in the blood-brain barrier increase their production of a protein that keeps immune cells from entering the brain, researchers in Germany and Canada report. The finding suggests that scientists could develop a multiple sclerosis therapy around the protein, known as EGFL7. It would work by preventing as many inflammation-generating immune cells from entering the brain. The underlying trigger for MS is immune cells crossing the blood-brain barrier to invade theĀ central nervous systemĀ (CNS). The barrier isĀ a selective membrane that shields the CNS from general blood circulation. Therapies that prevent immune cells from entering the brain can help control the disease, studies have shown. They includeĀ Tysabri (natalizumab, marketed by Biogen). But āas with other highly effective disease-modifying therapies which influence a broad range of peripheral immune cells, potential devastating adverse events limit the use of this therapy as a first-line agent,ā the researchers wrote. The team at Mainz University Medical Center in GermanyĀ and the University of MontrealĀ wondered if epidermal growth factor-like protein 7 (EGFL7) could prevent the brain inflammation in MS. Ā Although scientists had not previously linked it to MS, it was shown to regulate the migration of immune cells into breast cancer tumors. The CNS response to the chronic inflammation seen in MS patients and a mouse model of the disease was to increase EGFL7 in the blood-brain barrier, the researchers found. Researchers said the increase prevented pro-inflammatory immune cells from crossing into the CNS. Endothelial cells that line blood capillaries in the blood-brain barrier are the ones that secrete EGFL7. āWe postulate that EGFL7 upregulation by BBB-ECs [brain blood barrier-endothelial cells] is induced as a compensatory mechanism to promote survival and recovery of BBB function in neuroinflammatory conditions,ā the team wrote. Researchers then tested what happened in mice that lacked EGFL7. They found that the mice developed MS earlier and that their blood-brain barrier membrane was less efficient at keeping immune cells out. Treatment with EGFL7 improved the disease severity in the MS mice and tightened the blood-brain barrier, they said. āIn light of our findings, smaller EGFL7 agonists, in development for other diseases, could therefore constitute an appealing therapeutic avenue for MS,ā the team concluded.
November 28, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Immune Cells Use 2 Entry Points to Overcome Blood-brain Barrier and Attack Myelin in MS Mice Immune cells that destroy myelin in multiple sclerosis (MS) access the brain and spinal cord via two different routes, a new mouse study shows. This suggests that therapies which target these entry routes may shield the brains of MS patients from further damage. The study, āCaveolin1 Is Required for…
November 8, 2017 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Blocking CXCR7 Receptor of Mature Monocytes Could Be New Therapeutic Strategy in MS The CXCR7 receptor present on mature monocytes ā a type of white blood cell ā may be a therapeutic target to alleviate the inflammation seen inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and similar disorders, a new study shows. The study, āFrontline Science: CXCR7 mediates CD14+CD16+ monocyte transmigration across the blood…
August 23, 2017 News by Rachita Narsaria, MD Nortis Awarded $688K Grant from NIH to Develop ‘Living’ Model of Blood-Brain Barrier for Research Nortis, a Seattle-based biotech company, has received a $688,000 grant by the National Institutes of Health to create a living, 3-D model of the human blood-brain barrier that will be used for laboratory testing to accelerate drug development and lessen the likelihood of failure in clinical trials. This grant provides funding for a third year of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award given to Nortis by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a branch of the NIH. SBIR provides grants to U.S.-based small businesses to do federal research and enable the commercialization of technology. The blood-brain barrier is a tissue barrier that only allows certain molecules to pass from blood vessels into the brain. It is a protective mechanism to prevent the entry of foreign bodies and infection-causing organisms in the brain. Researchers are trying to find ways of delivering medications across this barrier, to reach brain tissues to treat diseases that include multiple sclerosis. "Understanding how drugs are transported across the blood-brain barrier and interact with the brain presents a significant scientific challenge," Thomas Neumann, CEO of Nortis and principal investigator on the project, said in a press release. "More predictive preclinical models based on human tissue are urgently needed to reduce costs and minimize clinical trial failures," he added. "This grant will help us develop new in-vitro alternatives to traditional pharmaceutical drug development testing on laboratory animals."
March 20, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD EBI2 Receptor Facilitates T-cell Invasion of Brain in MS, Animal Study Shows Scientists have identified a receptor that promotes the influx of damaging immune T-cells into the brain of a mouse model of human multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, āEBI2 is highly expressed in multiple sclerosis lesions and promotes early CNS migration of encephalitogenic CD4 T cells,ā appearedĀ in the…
February 9, 2017 Columns by Debi Wilson How the Blood Brain Barrier May Thwart MS Progression Lately, I have been reading more and more about the potential connection between the blood brain barrier and multiple sclerosis. I have been researching the blood brain barrier (BBB) to better understand it and share my findings with readers. The BBB is a network of endothelial cells…
December 2, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Fat Bubbles and Ultrasound May Offer Way of Getting MS Therapies Directly to Brain A new ways ofĀ delivering drug therapies directly to the brain, overcoming the limitation imposed by the blood-brain barrier (a permeable barrier that protects the brain), has been discovered. The technique ā which makes use of lipid bubbles and ultrasound ā may pave the way for new treatments against neurological disorders,…
September 16, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Protein Seen as New Target in Preventing Brain Inflammation in MS Researchers found that blocking a protein,Ā known asĀ integrin alpha 8, may workĀ to prevent inflammation in the central nervous system of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The results were revealedĀ in an oral presentation, āIntegrin alpha8 is a novel mediator of T lymphocyte migration across the CNS barriers,ā atĀ theĀ 32nd Congress of theĀ European Committee…
July 22, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Antibody Created in Lab Treats MS in Mice by Preventing Immune Cells from Piercing Blood-Brain Barrier Building on work began in stroke studies and applying it to multiple sclerosis, researchers in France report that an antibody they developed kept the blood-brain barrier intact in cellular and mice MS modelsĀ despite the presence of inflammation, preventing immune cells from entering the brain. The key to understanding the study…
November 4, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Multiple Sclerosis Study Reveals Protein’s Role in Disease Activation In a new study entitled āTranscription factor Nr4a1 couples sympathetic and inflammatory cues in CNS-recruited macrophages to limit neuroinflammation,ā a team of scientists discovered the mechanism by whichĀ autoreactiveĀ T cells are capable of penetrating a patient’sĀ brain and induce multiple sclerosis. The study was recently published in the advance online issue…
October 7, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Good Cholesterol Helps Prevent Brain Lesion Formation in Multiple Sclerosis A number of studies have previously suggested a negative effect of high cholesterol levels on the development of brain lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), however, little is known about the effect of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, or “good” cholesterol, on MS. A team of scientists from the University…
September 2, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Obstructive Sleep Apnea Found To Contribute to BloodāBrain Barrier Breakdown Experienced By MS Patients In a recent study published in the Journal of Neuroimaging, a team of researchers from the UCLA have reported the first evidence that obstructive sleep apnea contributes to a breakdown of the bloodābrain barrier, which plays an important role in protecting brain tissue. The findings are significant for…