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Subject: Daily pill could or even reverse Multiple Sclerosis

Daily pill 'could stop or even REVERSE multiple sclerosis'

Researchers in Canada discover low levels of brain chemicals in sufferers

Trials are already underway and could speed the drug's release for general use

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:49 PM on 23rd September 2011

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Breakthrough: An effective treatment could be available within six years

Doctors have made an 'exciting' breakthrough that could lead to a new treatment

to stop - or even reverse the symptoms - of multiple sclerosis.

Researchers have discovered that people with MS have significantly lower levels

of brain chemicals called neuro-steroids.

Neuro-steroids help build brain cells and maintain their function, connecting

different areas of activity in the brain.

Scientists and neurologists at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada

believe that it would be possible to replace the missing chemical with a daily

pill that would represent a completely different way of dealing with the disease

that affects more than 85,000 people in the UK.

Dr Power announced the discovery in a research paper in the latest issue

of Brain.

He said: 'This frankly is an exciting breakthrough and has huge potential. The

role of neurosteroids in the brain has been known for some time but no one

thought - until now - that they might play a role in MS.'

The link with the disease was made when his team tested the brains of 16

patients from Alberta - which has the highest levels of MS in the world - and

discovered that they had significant lower levels of a particular neuro-steroid

allopregnanolone compared to a group of patients who had died from other

diseases.

Dr Power's team were excited because trials using allopregnanolone - which is

derived from cholesterol and is linked to vitamin D - are already underway in

epilepsy and depression.

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'The chemical is already available which speeds up the process that could

eventually get this into humans with MS,' he said.

Researchers are interested in the vitamin D link because it has been established

that there are higher levels of MS in Northern areas of the world such as

Scotland where reduced levels of the vitamin have been linked to less exposure

to sunlight.

When mice with MS were treated with allopregnanolone it had a significant

effect, reducing inflammation levels in the brain and repairing nerve fibres.

In MS the myelin sheath around nerves is destroyed by the disease which is

triggered by the immune system 'over reacting' and attacking healthy cells

rather than invading infections and diseases.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Multiple Sclerosis is a complex condition which can be difficult to diagnose

because it presents in many different forms.

Symptoms can include problems with vision, balance and dizziness, fatigue as

well as bladder, speech and swallowing difficulties.

The condition can also affect memory and thinking and impact on a sufferer's

emotions.

In severe cases a person with MS will be unable to walk.

Most people will not suffer the same symptoms and they will not suffer all of

them at the same time.

MS is usually diagnosed in adults between 20 and 40 years old and is more

prevalent in women.

Treatments up until now have included drug, exercise and physiotherapy alongside

diet and alternative therapies.

MS is an inflammatory disease which damages the tissue around the brain and the

spinal cord, this affects the ability of cells to communicate leaving the body

unable to respond to instructions from the brain.

MS in its severest form can cause loss of mobility but the Canadian researchers

found that the mice given the steroid were found to have increased levels of

mobility over a 30 day period following the start of treatment.

Dr Power said: 'Overall we found that the mice showed a 50 per cent reduction in

MS disease severity in the brain.'

At present there a number of drugs that slow the progression of MS but after a

period of time many patients 'fail' on the treatments and their disease

continues to progress.

Dr Power believes that regular treatment with allopregnanolone - and possibly

other neurosteroids halt the disease and can reverse some of the symptoms.

He said: 'We were surprised by our initial discovery that this neurosteroid was

present in reduced levels in MS patients and then amazed to discover that when

we used it as treatment it had such significant effects.'

Funding for the research came from the Canadian Government and the country's MS

Society.

Dr Power is now hoping to get Government or drug funding to

start the first stages of human

trials with allopregnanolone within the next couple of years.

He said: 'Initially we will be looking that it is safe to take. But to some

extent that work has been done because of the trials in other disease areas. Our

research on mice showed no toxicity.

'If we overcome that hurdle - which we should then we would be onto stage two

trials to establish that it works as a treatment.

'We are talking about it being at least six or seven years away as a treatment

but I am optimistic about our chances even though there are a number of hurdles

to overcome.'

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