glial cells

Glial cells implicated in MS disease progression, development

Glial cells, which mostly support the function of nerve cells, play key roles in multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression and development, according to a stem cell-based study. ā€œMost research and therapeutic strategies have so far focused on blocking the overactive immune system, but how cells in the brain itself,…

XPro1595 may promote myelin restoration, new mouse study finds

INmune Bio‘s experimental therapy XPro1595 may promote myelin restoration through the activation of two types of nervous system support cells, according to new data that may lead to novel treatment strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. The findings highlight the activation of microglia, key…

Progressive MS Projects Earn Research Challenge Awards

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has granted itsĀ International Progressive MS Alliance (Alliance) Research Challenge Awards to 19 researchers for their work on progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Among them is Jennifer Gommerman, PhD, a professor at the University of Toronto, in Canada, who will use…

Need to Know: What Is the Blood Brain Barrier?

Editor’s note: “Need to Knowā€ is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum.Ā This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “How the Blood Brain Barrier May Thwart MS Progression” from Feb. 9, 2017. What…

Catching the Flu Can Trigger an MS Relapse by Activating Glial Cells, Study Suggests

Coming down with the flu can provoke relapses in multiple sclerosis patients by activating glial cells that surround and protect nerve cells. In a study in mice, scientists found that activated glial cells increase the levels of a chemical messenger in the brain that, in turn, triggers an immune reaction and, potentially, autoimmune attacks. The flu is caused by the human influenza virus and, despite being unpleasant, usually resolves itself within days. However, for people with MS and other neurological conditions, the flu can lead to disease relapse. Researchers at the University of Illinois investigated what happens in the brain of MS patients during upper-respiratory viral infections, such as the flu. "We know that when MS patients get upper respiratory infections, they're at risk for relapse, but how that happens is not completely understood," Andrew Steelman, an assistant professor at the university and the study's senior author, said in a press release. "A huge question is what causes relapse, and why immune cells all of a sudden want to go to the brain. Why don't they go to the toe?" The team used a mouse model characterized by autoimmune responses within the brain and spinal cord ā€” the type of deregulated immune responses seen in MS patients. Researchers infected the animals with a version of human influenza virus adapted to mice, and looked at changes that occurred in the animalā€™s central nervous system. While the virus was never detected in the animals' brains, upon infection some of the mice developed MS-like symptoms. "If you look at a population of MS patients that have symptoms of upper respiratory disease, between 27 and 42 percent will relapse within the first week or two," Steelman said. "That's actually the same incidence and timeframe we saw in our infected mice, although we thought it would be much higher given that most of the immune cells in this mouse strain are capable of attacking the brain." The team then investigated how a peripheral influenza infection could contribute to disease onset. They infected a wild-type (normal) strain of mice with the flu virus and looked at alterations in the brain and spinal cord. Scientists found that infection increased the activation of glial cells in the mice's brains. Moreover, it induced infiltration of several immune cells ā€” T-cells, monocytes and neutrophils ā€” into the brain within eight hours of infection. Overall, these findings suggest that the chemokine CXCL5 plays a key role in mediating an autoimmune attack in MS, and might be explored for therapeutic potential.

Q Therapeutics Approved to Start Trial of Cell Therapy Aiming to Restore Myelin

A cell therapy intended to boostĀ myelin regeneration ā€” Q-Cells byĀ Q TherapeuticsĀ ā€”Ā has received aĀ green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed with a clinical trial in patients with transverse myelitis (TM), a disease that likeĀ multiple sclerosis is characterized by myelin damage. FDA approval of the companyā€™s Investigational New…

MS Researchers to Be Among 200 Specialists at January Symposium on Glial-Neuronal Interactions

The upcoming 9thĀ annual ā€œGlial-neuronal Interactions in Health and Diseaseā€ symposium will bring together nearlyĀ 200 neuroscientistsĀ ā€” focused onĀ neuron and glial cell interaction and its affect on diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) ā€” to discuss the latest findings in this area of brain research. The daylong symposium is to be held…