Sorry about last. New News On MS

[Guest guest]

VERY INTERESTING. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON CORDBLOOD TREATMENT? AND HAS ANYONE TRIED DL-PHENYLALINE .?

Mike

[Guest guest]

Hello Out there, I got an e-mail from my pops. About released info on MS

studies that just came out for April, so I copied it for you all. This is

Really great news we are only steps away now!!!

The following information is reprinted with permission from Veritas Medicine.

This information does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Biogen Idec.

Investigational drugs and procedures have not been thoroughly studied or

approved by the FDA. Please consult your physician if you have questions about

any of the material presented.

Amit Bar-Or, M.D. Neurologist and Neuroimmunologist, McGill University and the

Montreal Neurological Institute

A recent article in the prestigious scientific journal Neuron described a new

enzyme that may play an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple

sclerosis. MS is viewed as a chronic condition in which the immune system

inappropriately attacks components of the central nervous system. This leads

to damage to myelin (the insulation that covers neurons as a sheath and helps

the nerves to transmit signals more quickly), as well as to the neural

pathways. However, it has long been appreciated that the involvement of the

immune system is not the whole story. For example, the fact that in MS, injury

by the dysregulated immune system is restricted to the central nervous system

(CNS), and does not involve other body organs, has suggested that there may be

something particular to the CNS that makes it susceptible. It is also known

that patients with MS, particularly in the progressive phases, can have

ongoing damage with loss of myelin and neural axons, even with little or no

immune cell involvement - again suggesting that something within the CNS

itself may provide an important contribution to propagating the injury over

time.

Since myelin injury is so prominent in MS, investigators have wondered whether

there may be particular components of myelin that can contribute to the

damage, either directly or by stimulating more aggressive immune responses.

For example, a component of normal myelin that is usually hidden in the normal

myelin folds, might become exposed, or abnormally modified, as part of the

immune mediated injury. Perhaps this abnormally regulated molecule could then

participate in additional aspects of CNS injury?

Research by Sam 's laboratory at McGill University, may have identified

such a molecule. The researchers found that an enzyme, phospholipase A2

(cPLA2), is highly increased in the CNS of animals with an MS-like illness,

experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In an elegant series of

studies, they discovered that the increased levels of this enzyme result in

the generation of two additional molecules that could contribute to different

aspects of the CNS injury. One of these metabolites has prominent

pro-inflammatory characteristics, and could therefore contribute to the

damaging inflammatory responses in the CNS. The other metabolite has the

capacity to induce myelin breakdown directly, causing demyelination as well as

the release of immune related molecules (chemokines and cytokines) that would

further precipitate immune responses. Thus, the abnormal upregulation of cPLA2

in EAE could result in these metabolites that both induce direct damage and

precipitate further inflammation and injury to myelin. With this in mind, the

authors proceeded to treat animals that had EAE, with a chemical inhibitor

that would specifically block cPLA2 and thereby limit the formation of its

toxic metabolites. Indeed, this blockade of cPLA2 resulted in significant

reductions in EAE induction and in the occurrence of relapses in these

animals. Based on these findings, cPLA2 is identified as an enzyme that plays

a central role in the onset and progress of this EAE model.

One of the most interesting features of this discovery relates to the

metabolite of cPLA2 that can directly (without additional immune mediators)

lead to myelin degradation. It is possible that this represents one of the

" missing links " that could explain how myelin damage actually starts, and/or

how it can continue even in settings where immune responses are no longer as

prominent. In this regard, it is interesting to note how advances in our basic

understanding of the structure of myelin can complement the story. Recently,

Ohler and colleagues used EAE animals to carefully consider the structure of

myelin and how it changes during the process of demyelination. They make the

point that as the myelin is injured, it changes in ways that could make it

further susceptible for further injury and degradation. Using three

complementary techniques, the authors explain how early immune mediated injury

can induce changes in the lipid composition of the myelin that, in turn,

result in myelin that is more fluid, less adherent, and overall more fragile.

Together, these studies point to the molecular composition of myelin as an

important consideration in the MS injury process. The discovery by Dr.

and his group identifies the cPLA2 enzyme as a potential target for the

development of drugs to treat MS. Upcoming research will strive to develop

inhibitors of this enzyme that could then be tested in clinical trials of MS

to see whether the proper balance of safety and efficacy can be reached with

this promising new strategy.

GOD BLESS EVERY ONE!! (unless you don't believe, then sorry to offend)

Love Rob (MS)

Rob York

[Guest guest]

Hi,

just to confirm to you that this news is true. But they are not at

the people testing stage yet. I know this first hand because my

neuro Dr Jack Antel works at McGill neuro dept and knows these

doctors. when I last seen him I asked to be included in human

testing and he said they weren't there yet.

I'll keep you up to date on this research next time I see my neuro.

> Hello Out there, I got an e-mail from my pops. About released info

on MS

> studies that just came out for April, so I copied it for you all.

This is

> Really great news we are only steps away now!!!

>

> Amit Bar-Or, M.D. Neurologist and Neuroimmunologist, McGill

University and the

> Montreal Neurological Institute

> A recent article in the prestigious scientific journal Neuron

described a new

> enzyme that may play an important role in the pathogenesis of

multiple

> sclerosis.