Pasithea Therapeutics announced plans to develop a tolerizing vaccine that would treat multiple sclerosis (MS) by “training” the immune system in ways that prevent its damaging attacks. The vaccine will be developed under Pasithea’s new chemical entity development program for MS in collaboration with Hooke…

The levels of a protein called Neuregulin-1 beta 1 (Nrg-1beta1) decline with the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. The findings support the potential of Nrg-1beta1 as a predictor of MS risk and progression and suggest that restoring its levels may help halt disease…

Exposure to certain gut bacteria at a young age may cause multiple sclerosis (MS) and fuel its progression, a new mouse study shows. The study, “Gut dysbiosis breaks immunological tolerance toward the central nervous system during young adulthood,” appeared in the journal Proceedings of the National…

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 — 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. “Diseases 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,” 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."

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, “Paeoniflorin Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis via Inhibition of Dendritic Cell Function and Th17 Cell Differentiation”, appeared in the journal…

The less oxygen that a mouse with multiple sclerosis (MS) has in the gray matter of its brain, the more mental and physical deterioration it is 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…

A hormonal system that controls blood pressure was also seen 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…

A molecule secreted by a parasite was seen to prevent autoimmune reactions in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). As this molecule, a protein factor or peptide, also worked to prevent diabetes, researchers suggest it might be developed into a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases. The study, “A parasite-derived 68-mer peptide ameliorates…

As inflammation and neuronal death progressed in the brains of mice with multiple sclerosis (MS), a molecular signaling pathway with a key player called Wnt was seen to come into action in brain areas crucial for memory production, triggering the formation of new neurons. The findings, presented in the study…

A therapeutic vaccine for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), called Xemys, is showing positive results in pre-clinical and clinical trials, and is soon to enter Phase 3 clinical testing. Xemys was developed by researchers at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and their colleagues. While traditional vaccines are…

Research from Indiana University School of Medicine showed that D3T – a compound that triggers copying 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…

In a recent study, a team of researchers argued that, contrary to what has been proposed, subclinical Bordetella pertussis colonization is an important cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “The potential role of subclinical Bordetella Pertussis colonization in the etiology of multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal…

Researchers demonstrated a process 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 “Infusion of Sulfosuccinimidyl-4-[N-maleimidomethyl]cyclohexane-1-carboxylate-Conjugated MOG35–55-Coupled…

New research at the University of Adelaide, Australia, may help pave the way toward the potential inhibition of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. The study entitled “CCR2 defines in vivo development and homing of IL-23-driven GM-CSF-producing Th17 cells” was published in the journal …