June 27, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Immune cell behavior could inform MS treatment strategies: Study Researchers have identified characteristics of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā a family of immune cells that help keep harmful immune reactions in check ā that could make it easier to develop targeted treatments for autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS). They found that Tregs exist as a common pool that…
March 26, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Advancing age affects Tregs’ ability to promote myelin repair: Study While regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are able to promote remyelination ā the repair of the myelin sheath that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS) ā this ability declines significantly with age, a new study shows. Based on the findings, researchers have identified molecular targets that may boost the myelin-repairing features…
March 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Cell therapy using Tregs in MS headed to Phase 2 trials in Poland The Polish biotechnology company PolTREG plans to launch Phase 2 trials testing its Tregs therapy ā the T-cell-based treatment PTG-007 ā in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Poland later this year. The biotech company has earned a Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) certification for its new manufacturing…
June 6, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Novel immune cell strategy found to reverse disease in MS mice Microparticles that activate regulatory T-cells, or Tregs, an immune cell type with anti-inflammatory properties, reversed the accumulation of physical disability due to multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative disorder, a new study shows. Use of the novel strategy even cured some of the animals. “We…
February 8, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Berberine, plant compound, eases disease severity in MS mouse model Treatment with berberine, a compound found in many plants, eased disease severity and showed anti-inflammatory effects in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. “These results confirmed that treatment with berberine efficiently improved the disease in the animal model of MS,” the researchers wrote, noting…
June 8, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Blocking Kidney Protein Prevents Progression in MS Mouse Model A protein called nephronectin mediates autoimmunity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and blocking this protein was found to prevent disease progression and processes that drive T-cells toward an inflammatory state, researchers reported. Study findings support nephronectin, a protein involved in kidney development, as a promising treatment…
July 27, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Targeting Ion Channel Piezo1 in T-cells Eased MS in Mice Removing an ion channel called Piezo1 from immune T-cells lessened disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a study showed. Notably, these beneficial effects were associated with an expansion of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā a type of immune cell that typically dampens immune and inflammatory responses ā…
June 29, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Abata Opens With Plans to Develop T-cell Therapies for Progressive MS Abata Therapeutics has opened with $95 million in financing, and plans to use regulatory T-cells to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, starting with progressive forms ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). Money raised will be used to support work for three clinical trials it plans to initiate in 2025, including…
March 2, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2021 – Leptin’s Pro-inflammatory Effects May Link Obesity to MS 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 all the latest stories from the conference. The fat-related hormone leptin has pro-inflammatory effects on immune cells, new data show, findings that help in better…
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…
November 17, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD TEPP-46 Might Worsen MS Rather Than Treat It, Study Suggests Using a small molecule called TEPP-46 to block the non-metabolic function of the enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in T-helper (Th) immune cells did not lessen disease severity and redirected inflammation and neural damage from the spinal cord to the brain in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis…
September 24, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Immune Treg Cells Seen to Ease Paralysis in Mouse Model of MS Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā immune cells that normally dampen immune and inflammatory responses by inhibiting the activity of pro-inflammatory immune cells ā enabled mice in a model of multiple sclerosisĀ to partly recover from limb and tail paralysis, scientists reported. Tregs can do this by preventing a subtype of…
June 22, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Hookworm Infection Seen to Boost T-cells That Regulate Immune System A person infected through the skin by the hookworm Necator americanusĀ shows a spike in Ā regulatory T-cells, specialized immune T-cells that work to limit inflammation, and a controlled infection by these generally safe worms may benefit some relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, research suggests. āThe…
March 16, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Metabolite of Gut Bacteria, as Supplement, May Regulate Immune System A short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria helps to counteract inflammatory responses in multiple sclerosis (MS) by promoting greater numbers of regulatory immune cells, a study reports. But the bacterial composition of the gut (its microbiome) of MS patients is deficient in bacteria that produce this acid ā…
March 4, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – 3 Ways to Treat MS by Altering Gut Microbiome Under Study Modulating the bacteria that reside in the gut by treatingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with probiotics, fecal transplants, or gut-related microRNAs may help to ease inflammation and disease severity,Ā researchers withĀ Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggest. Howard Weiner, MD, a group leader at the hospital, presented his team’s findings on…
February 27, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Cellular Metabolism Could Be New Therapeutic Target in MS, Study Suggests Immune system cells can either trigger or suppress inflammation by controlling mitochondrial respiration ā the process that occurs in mitochondria, the cells’ powerhouses, and results in the production of usable energy by cells ā according to a recent study. This discovery raises the possibility that…
February 12, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gilenya Works to Treat RRMS by Specifically Targeting B-cells and T-helper Cells, Study Finds Treating people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) for one year with the immune-modulating therapy Gilenya (fingolimod)Ā reduced the numbers of antibody-producing B-cells and of T helper cells, a study finds.Ā While the…
January 24, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mayzent Helps Regulate the Immune System in SPMS, Study Shows Mayzent (siponimod), an approved oral therapy for activeĀ secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS), promotes a more regulatory immune system, which may explain its added benefits for SPMS, new clinical data show. The study āSiponimod enriches regulatory T and B lymphocytes in secondary progressive multiple sclerosisā was published in the…
December 3, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD microRNA Found in Gut Microbiome May Unlock Future Therapeutic Approach for MS A small RNA molecule found in high levels in the gut of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could be used to develop a new therapy for MS in the future, an early research study reports. Orally giving this microRNA ā called miR-30d ā to mouse models of…
June 20, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Potential Mechanism Behind Effectiveness of B-cell Depletion Therapy in MS Uncovered The loss of immune B-cells, and the resulting changes in the profile of immune T-cells, is a major mechanism of action for the beneficial effects seen with ublituximab treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a study suggests. B-cells are a type of immune cell best known for producing…
February 15, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Tiny RNA miR-142 Key in Preventing Autoimmunity, Study Reports A tiny molecule known as microRNA-142 plays a key role in the prevention of autoimmune responses through immune cells called regulatory T-cells (Tregs), according to a new study of Ā mice. These findings could enable new strategies to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, the scientists said. The…
January 14, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Typhoid Vaccine Treats MS by Promoting Regulatory T-cells, Mouse Study Reports Treating a common animal model ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) with a typhoid vaccine eased disease symptomsĀ by prompting T helper cells to stop production of a pro-inflammatory factor ā interleukin (IL)-17 ā and by promoting greater numbers of anti-inflammatory Ā regulatory T-cells, researchers report. Their study, āTargeting prohibitins at the…
December 5, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Aspirin Suppresses MS Symptoms by Preventing Loss of Regulatory T-cells, Mouse Study Shows Aspirin, administered orally at low doses, was sufficient to suppress multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in a mouse model of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and chronic MS, a study reports. The clinical benefits of aspirin were linked to an increase in the number of regulatory T-cells, those responsible for shutting…
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…
September 20, 2018 News by Vijaya Iyer, PhD Rapamycin, Approved for Other Indications, Potentially Effective for MS, Study Suggests Treatment with Rapacan (rapamycin) decreased the size and volume of brain lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Iranian study reports. The study, āPromising effect of rapamycin on multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Rapamycin, or sirolimus, is an immunosuppressive…
July 12, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Overreactive T-cells Can Transition into T-cells That Control the Immune Response, Study Shows New research shows that overreactive and tissue-damaging T-cells can transition into regulatory T-cells that help to control the immune system’s response. These findings open the door to further understanding of the mechanism underlying this transition, knowledge that can help scientists in designing more effective, targeted immunotherapies for diseases like multiple…
October 25, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Researchers Suggest Propionic Acid Could Be Used as Add-on Treatment in MS Propionic acid supplements alter the composition and behavior of immune cells in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ā likely by changing the composition of gut bacteria, according to Alexander Duscha from Ruhr University BochumĀ in Bochum, Germany. The finding, presented Wednesday at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS MeetingĀ running in Paris…
October 10, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Identify Quality Control Regulatory Cells That Prevent the Production of Autoantibodies The discovery of an immune cell quality control mission may have put scientists a step closer to understanding how autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis arise. University of Alabama at BirminghamĀ researchers identified regulatory immune cells with the quality control mission of destroying antibody-producing B-cells that mistakenly target the body's own tissue after an infection. An autoimmune disease is one in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue or organs instead of invaders. Eventually, the insight could lead researchers to new approaches for treating MS and other conditions caused by aberrant immune reactions. The Alabama researchers were studying the processes involved in the body's defense against a real threat āĀ the influenza virus āĀ when they discovered a population of immune cells whose action is relevant to autoimmune diseases. The study noted thatĀ T follicular regulatory cells appeared in the late stages of influenza infection. Their objective was to prevent the immune system from generating self-reactive antibodies ā that is, those that attack the body's own tissue. These cells are poorly understood, the researchers explained. Their experiments, published in the journal Nature Immunology, focused onĀ the molecular events surrounding the cellsā actions.Ā The teamĀ discovered that about a week after the infection, levels of an immune regulator called the IL-2 protein increased. This triggered the multiplication of common regulatory T-cells, or Tregs. When this phase of the immune reaction was fading, TFR cells started multiplying, reaching peak numbers about a month after infection. The formation of the TFR cells was therefore tightly linked to the processes controlling Treg production, researchers said, with falling levels of IL-2 allowing the new phase of the immune response. The TFR cells migrated to the lymph nodes āĀ the headquarters of antibody-producing B-cells. Here, B-cells proliferate and change their antibody-producing genes to create new, stronger antibodies. But sometimes the gene changes, or mutations, give rise to an antibody that attacks the body, instead of invaders. Researchers discovered that TFR cells prevented B-cells, which gave rise to autoantibodies, from accumulating in the lymph nodes. Importantly, the TFR cells had no impact on the immune processes targeting the influenza virus. When researchers prevented TFR cells from forming or removed them from mice, the animals started producing autoantibodies, they explained. While this suggested that people with autoimmune diseases may have flawed TFR processes, the study did not investigate this, making the topic a possibility for future studies.
September 25, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Gene Therapy Shows Good Results in Mice, but Human Trials Remain Distant Researchers have taken the first steps towards the development of a gene therapy for multiple sclerosis āĀ a treatment that boosted anti-inflammatory immune processes and reversed severe paralysis in mouse models of the disease. The University of Florida Health research team said it was optimistic that the therapy can work…
September 14, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Specific Gut Bacteria May Drive Progression of Multiple Sclerosis, Study Finds Specific gut bacteria may drive the progression of multiple sclerosis, according to a study showing that two bacterial species made the disease worse in a mouse model of MS. Researchers at the University of California, San FranciscoĀ also pinpointed a species ā found in lower numbers in MS patients ā…