October 19, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Inhibiting HDAC1 Enzyme Prevents Mice from Developing MS-like Disease, Study Finds Inhibiting an enzyme prevented mice from developing aĀ multiple sclerosis-like disease, a European study reports. The finding about HDAC1, aĀ member of the histone deacetylases family of enzymes, could open up new therapy possibilities for MS. Researchers published their study, āA T cell-specific deletion of HDAC1 protects against experimental…
July 24, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Pre-Existing Inflammatory Diseases Reduce Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells for MS Treatment, Study Shows According to a study by researchers at Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, pre-existing inflammatory diseases affecting the central nervous system make mesenchymal stem cells less effective in treating multiple sclerosis. The study notes that MSCs potentially produce several signaling proteins that can regulate immune system responses as well as help tissue regenerate. Preclinical studies have shown that this can reduce brain inflammation while improving neural repair in animal models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis -- an animal version of MS that is often used in laboratory studies, since it resembles the inflammation and neuronal damage seen in MS patients. Given the need for effective new MS therapies, the results will help MSCs to advance to human clinical trials. So far, results have reported good safety data, though such therapies have failed to demonstrate therapeutic efficacy. Most such trials so far have used stem cells collected from the patient, a process known as autologous transplantation ā yet this may explain why MSCs have not been effective. It's possible that pre-existing neurological conditions may alter stem cells' responsiveness as well as their therapeutic activity. To see whether that is in fact the case, team members collected stem cells from the bone marrow of EAE mice. But these stem cells were unable to improve EAE symptoms, whereas stem cells collected from healthy mice retained all their therapeutic potential and improved EAE symptoms. A more detailed analysis showed that the MSCs derived from EAE animals had different features than their healthy counterparts. In addition, the team confirmed that MSCs collected from MS patients were also less effective in treating EAE animals, compared to MSCs from healthy controls. Indeed, these MSCs from patients produced pro-inflammatory signals instead of the protective anti-inflammatory ones. āDiseases like EAE and MS diminish the therapeutic functionality of bone marrow MSCs, prompting re- evaluation about the ongoing use of autologous MSCs as a treatment for MS,ā the team wrote, adding that its study supports the advancement of MSC therapy from donors rather than autologous MSC therapy to treat MS while raising "important concerns over the efficacy of using autologous bone marrow MSCs in clinical trials."
June 22, 2017 Columns by Tamara Sellman MS Alphabet: EAE, Endothelium, EpsteināBarr, and other ‘E’ Words (Editorās note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this second of two parts on terms starting with the letter āE.ā Read the first part here.) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you…
June 14, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Stressful Environment Triggers Inflammatory Cells Linked to Autoimmune Diseases Like MS, Study Shows A stressful microenvironment, characterized by low metabolites and low oxygen levels, triggers the generation of immune cells directly implicated in a variety of inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, āCellular Stress in the Context of an Inflammatory Environment Supports TGF-Ī²-Independent T Helper-17 Differentiation,ā was…
May 4, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cytomegalovirus Infection Worsens Multiple Sclerosis, Study in Mice Shows A cytomegalovirus infection triggers an increase in inflammatory and cytotoxic immune cells in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS), which leadsĀ to enhanced inflammation and loss of nerve-protecting myelin. The study, āCytomegalovirus infection exacerbates autoimmune mediated neuroinflammation,ā was published in the journal Scientific Reports. A cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection…
March 6, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Altered Immune Response in MS Is What May Allow Infections to Kill, Mouse Study Suggests It is no coincidence that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are prone to airway infections, according to research showing that MS disease processes allow suppressive immune cells to travel to the lungs and block inflammatory responses against invading viruses. The study may offer guidance on how vaccines should be used to…
February 23, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Airway Infections May Be More Common in MS Due to Altered Immune Response in Lungs Disease processes in multiple sclerosis (MS) likely contribute to the increased sensitivity to airway infections seen in MS patients,Ā a series of experiments in mice demonstrated. The study, presented at theĀ ACTRIMS 2017 Forum, showed that suppressive immune cells travel to the lungs and prevent an essential inflammatory reaction to viral…
February 9, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Component of Traditional Medicinal Herb Improves Symptoms in MS Mouse Model, Study Shows Paeoniflorin (PF), a herb component used in Chinese medicine, improved symptoms and reduced inflammation in a mouse model that recapitulates the human features of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, āPaeoniflorin Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis via Inhibition of Dendritic Cell Function and Th17 Cell Differentiationā, appearedĀ in the journal…
December 7, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Lower Oxygen in Brain’s Gray Matter Linked to More Impairment in Mouse Study The less oxygen that a mouse withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) has in the gray matter of itsĀ brain, the more mental and physical deterioration it isĀ likely to have, a new study suggests. The study confirms previous research indicating a connection between low oxygen levels in a mouse’s gray matter and the development…
December 5, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Hormonal Pathway That Controls Blood Pressure Shows Anti-inflammatory Potential A hormonal system that controls blood pressure was also seenĀ to counter inflammatory processes in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) by influencing immune cells to take on a more anti-inflammatory profile. Researchers believe that it might be possible to manipulate the system with drugs, so as to boost anti-inflammatory…
December 1, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Protein from Parasite Lowers Relapse Rates, Evidence of Demyelination in Mice with MS A moleculeĀ secreted by a parasite was seen to prevent autoimmune reactionsĀ in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). As this molecule, a protein factor or peptide, also worked to preventĀ diabetes, researchers suggestĀ it might be developed intoĀ aĀ potential treatment for autoimmune diseases. The study, “A parasite-derived 68-mer peptide ameliorates…
November 9, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Gene Test May Predict Which MS Patients Will Respond to Interferon-beta Therapy In multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who do not respond toĀ interferon-beta treatment, autoimmunity may depend on processes that differ from patients helped by this treatmentā a finding that could lead both to better therapies and tests that predict a patient’s likely response. The study, āAn interferon-Ī²-resistant and NLRP3…
November 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Myelin May Hold Raw Material for Immunizing MS Patients Against Demyelination Immunization with molecules present specifically in myelin may be a new approach to treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study that found that the mouse version of such molecules could stopĀ ongoing diseaseĀ processes in an MS mouse model. The study, “Targeting Non-classical Myelin Epitopes to Treat…
October 10, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Myelin Regeneration Achieved in Mouse Model of MS Therapies aimed at regenerating the myelin sheath can work to restore proper brain activity and may be a viable way of treatingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), according toĀ researchers atĀ the University of California San Francisco. In the study, āAccelerated Remyelination During Inflammatory Demyelination Prevents Axonal Loss And Improves Functional Recovery,ā published…
June 7, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – MS Mice Show Reduced Disease Severity After Treatment with Vegetable Compound Research from Indiana University School of Medicine showed that D3T – a compound that triggersĀ copyingĀ of antioxidant genes and production of the antioxidant glutathione – delays disease development and lowers disease severity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) animal models. The models mimicked multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans, advancing further exploration…
February 1, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc MS Cognitive Impairment Traced to Synapse Damage in Hippocampus Researchers identified a new mechanism in the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) that might explain the cognitive impairment and decline observed in theseĀ patients ā a decline not directly associated with disease’s hallmarks of motor control loss, and oneĀ not currently addressed by the immunosuppressive drugs usedĀ to treat MS. The study, published…
December 17, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New MS Drug Shows ‘Excellent Profile’ in Preclinical Tests Against Approved Therapy Akaal Pharma, a developer of small molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammation and autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS), recently announced highly positive preclinical trial results on the safety and efficacy of its drug candidate AKP-11 when compared to Gilenya (fingolimod, FTY-720), an oral MS drug approved by…
December 11, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Cellular ‘On-Off’ Switch May Activate MS Inflammatory Response In a new study, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical CenterĀ inĀ Texas and The Scripps Research Institute in California discovered that the enzyme NEK7, vital to cell division, plays a crucial role in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, essential to the onset of inflammation. This discovery mayĀ have a significant impact…
December 1, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Multiple Sclerosis-like Disorder Blocked in Mice Study Researchers demonstrated a processĀ that prevented an induced autoimmune disease from taking hold in the central nervous system of mice, and think it has the potential of being translated into a multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. The study detailing the method and its promising results is entitled āInfusion of Sulfosuccinimidyl-4-[N-maleimidomethyl]cyclohexane-1-carboxylate-Conjugated MOG35ā55-Coupled…
November 18, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novel Protein Suppresses MS in Mouse Model, Inhibits Neuroinflammation in Spinal Cord In a recent study entitled āMyelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is ameliorated in interleukin-32 alpha transgenic mice,ā a team of researchers investigated whether interleukin (IL)-32, a cytokine with an established role in rheumatoid arthritis, has a protective function in a mouse model of human multiple…
November 5, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Autoimmune Disease, Obesity Link Found in Subset of Immune Dendritic Cells In a recent study published in the journal Immunity, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel reportedĀ the findings that a small subtype of immune dendritic cells plays a role in the prevention of both metabolic syndrome and autoimmunity. The study is entitled ā…
October 13, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Importance of Microbiota in MS Development Explored in ECTRIMS 2015 Presentation Three parallel sessions concerning multiple sclerosis (MS) prevention, clinical phenotypes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were featured at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), recently held in Barcelona, Spain (October 7 ā 10, 2015). The first parallel session was entitled āWill…
June 22, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Animal Models Offer New Insights Into Energy Metabolism in Multiple Sclerosis Researchers atĀ United Arab Emirates University in Abu Dhabi have recently published in the journal BMC Neuroscience new insights into the involvement of mitochondria and energy metabolism in the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS) in rats. The study is entitled āBioenergetics of the spinal…
May 25, 2015 News by Maureen Newman New Compound Tested in Lab Shows Promise for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Exploratory research conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Illinois at Chicago may translate into a new therapeutic agent to treat progressive multiple sclerosis. Researchers in the laboratories of Dr. Jefferey L. Dupree and Dr. Douglas L. Feinstein tested a new compound in mice with induced multiple sclerosis…