MS Article

[Guest guest]

I saw this elsewhere and haven't seen it anywhere else yet. I no nothing more

than what is below:

Drug that could stop MS discovered after scientists pinpoint chemical 'driving

force' behind the illness

By Fiona Macrae

Last updated at 9:28 AM on 25th April 2011

*

A drug that could stop multiple sclerosis in its tracks has been discovered by

scientists.

In a major breakthrough in the battle against the devastating disease,

researchers have pinpointed the chemical ‘driving force’ behind MS.

Without it, the disease does not develop. And when it is mopped up, symptoms are

greatly eased, even in brains already ravaged by the illness.

Scientists are hopeful that they've found a way of stopping multiple sclerosis

in its tracks

Breakthrough: Scientists are hopeful that they've found a way of stopping

multiple sclerosis in its tracks

The results come from experiments on mice but the researchers say they are

‘quietly optimistic’ that taking the same tack will help people with MS. The

first trials on patients are pencilled in for later this year.

The debilitating condition affects 2.5million people around the world, including

85,000 Britons, and can cause blindness and paralysis. Current drugs are not

suitable for all and there is no cure.

Based on the mouse data, GM-CSF is a sexy target

The excitement centres around two studies published last night which show an

immune system chemical called GM-CSF to be the ‘vital piece in the jigsaw’

of MS.

In the healthy body, it is part of our defence against disease, attacking

viruses and other invaders. But in MS, it triggers a series of reactions that

culminate in ‘scavenger cells’ destroying myelin †" the fatty protective

sheath around nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord †" which disrupts the

transmission of messages from the brain.

When Swiss researcher Burk-hard Becher gave an antibody that counters GM-CSF to

mice with an MS-like condition, it greatly improved their health.

Professor Becher, of the University of Zurich, said: ‘It is relatively easy to

stop mice from getting the disease, so we waited until they had the disease and

were pretty sick.

‘This is similar to the clinical situation †" patients don’t go to the

doctor because they think they might get MS, they go when they have MS.’

The drug was also given to mice whose disease was similar to the most common

form of MS, in which relapses are followed by periods of remission.

Here, mopping up the GM-CSF prevented any further relapses, the journal Nature

Immunology reports.

Professor Becher told the Daily Mail: ‘We are extremely hopeful but whether

this form of therapy will actually help MS patients remains to be seen. Quiet

optimism is the way to go.

‘I am not sure this is going to work in patients but, based on the mouse data,

I believe GM-CSF is a good thing to target.’

A German firm, which has no connections to the professor, is already trying to

use antibodies against the chemical to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It plans to

start tests on MS patients at the end of this year.

It usually takes at least seven years from when a drug is first tried out on

patients until it hits the market.

A second study, from Jefferson University in Philadelphia, also points

the finger at GM-CSF.

Although the chemical was known to play a role in MS, its pivotal contribution

was not understood until now.

Dr Doug Brown, of the MS Society, said: ‘This is a very interesting

development in research for a condition where there are limited treatment

options and no cure.

‘It is early days and there is still a lot of work to be done before we fully

understand what it means for people with MS, but it is satisfying to see that

trials are already planned and we look forward to seeing how these progress.’

Mopping up excess GM-CSF may also help treat other conditions, including

diabetes, it is hoped

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1380141/Drug-stop-MS-discovered-scient\

ists-pinpoint-chemical-driving-force-illness.html#ixzz1KpCscAvX