Let's do a quick review: Myelin is the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the brain's axons, which are the parts of neurons that transmit signals to other neurons. Multiple sclerosis, in large part, involves the destruction of that myelin, thereby disrupting the nerve signals along the now-exposed axons and causing the variety of symptoms that make MS the unpredictable wonder that it is. The cells that make myelin-- called oligodendrocytes-- are present in MS'ers but for some reason they usually cannot sufficiently restore the myelin after an attack.

Now then, Biogen has uncovered a molecule (which they call LINGO-1) that seems to control the myelin production of the oligodendrocytes. It seems that LINGO-1 acts to block myelin production when it is present, and by blocking LINGO-1 itself, the oligodendrocytes begin to make myelin in large amounts AND correctly place it around the damaged nerves. Certainly, the implications of this are revolutionary-- MS treatments that repair damage, not just slow it down.

However, like much of the early research we talk about here, this achievement-- while certainly great-- has only been done in a lab. Animal and human trials are a long ways ahead. Nevertheless, Biogen is a large company with the means and experience to bring such a therapy to market. If LINGO-1 does not turn out to be the answer, the information gleaned from research should yield other clues which can then be acted upon. It is a curiosity of ours as to how this information can be used by a more aggressive organization such as the Myelin Repair Foundation-- dedicated to bringing about myelin repair therapeutics in the next five years.

In any case, our greatest lesson here is that MS therapeutics are slowly but surely turning away from modulating the immune response to the tune of a ~30% benefit to actually repairing the damage caused by the system. MS is a multi-modal issue, and it will require a combination of prevention, damage control and repair strategies to eventually eradicate it from our lives and minds.

Michael Gilman, Ph.D., Biogen Idec's Executive Vice President, Research: "Although it is still uncertain whether we can transform these observations into a therapy, our research team has provided the first indications of a new pathway that may enable us to repair the nerve damage found in patients afflicted by MS and other serious demyelinating diseases."

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Full Press Release

Biogen Idec Identifies Molecule That May Be Key to Central Nervous System Repair and Regeneration
Tuesday May 17, 8:30 am ET
New Research Could Lead to Potential Pathways for Treating Multiple Sclerosis, Demyelinating Diseases

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2005-- Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB - News), a global biotechnology leader with leading products and capabilities in oncology, neurology and immunology, announced today that Biogen Idec scientists have identified a molecule in the central nervous system (CNS) that may play a pivotal role in CNS repair and regeneration. The research, to be published in the June 2005 edition of Nature Neuroscience, is the first to suggest a role for LINGO-1 in nerve repair and could lead to potential pathways for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating diseases. MS is a chronic disease of the CNS in which the body's own immune cells break down myelin, a fatty substance that typically surrounds nerve cells like the insulation around a wire. Without myelin, nerves lose the ability to conduct electrical impulses and eventually die. Current MS therapies can slow the progression of the disease, but none are able to repair the damage that the immune system inflicts on myelin. Although the CNS cells that typically wrap nerves in myelin are present in MS patients, they fail to restore the missing myelin sheath following an immune system attack.

The new research reported by Biogen Idec scientists indicates that LINGO-1 appears to be a molecular switch that controls the ability of these CNS cells to myelinate. The Biogen Idec team discovered that LINGO-1 normally acts to prevent myelination and that the normal function of LINGO-1 could be blocked in laboratory tissue culture.

In experiments, researchers were able to induce CNS cells to generate large quantities of myelin by blocking LINGO-1 and, for the first time ever in a laboratory setting, to wrap it correctly around nerves.

"This research underscores Biogen Idec's commitment to neurology and understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as MS," said Michael Gilman, Ph.D., Biogen Idec's Executive Vice President, Research. "Although it is still uncertain whether we can transform these observations into a therapy, our research team has provided the first indications of a new pathway that may enable us to repair the nerve damage found in patients afflicted by MS and other serious demyelinating diseases."

"This work is of great interest to the field of myelin repair. It shows that there are, in the normal brain, certain factors that serve to exert a regulatory influence - and in the case of LINGO-1, a 'restraining' influence - on the myelination program. The authors provide strong evidence that by inhibiting LINGO-1, myelination becomes much more robust," said David R. Colman, Ph.D., a principal investigator of the Myelin Repair Foundation and Wilder Penfield Professor and Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University. "The possible therapeutic implications are really quite exciting."

"We believe that the LINGO-1 research has significantly added to the body of knowledge about nerve repair in multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases," said John Richert, M.D., Vice President Clinical and Research Programs at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "We hope it will one day lead to improved treatments for MS and the repair of the central nervous system."

This new research builds on papers recently published by Biogen Idec scientists on CNS nerve re-growth and regeneration. Earlier in 2005, Biogen Idec researchers published that a protein alternatively referred to as TAJ or TROY acts as an important part of the receptor on CNS neurons that responds to growth-inhibitory molecules in myelin. Specifically, these molecules prevent the re-growth of neurons following injury. Research on LINGO-1 and TAJ may also provide insight into how to potentially repair damage to the spinal cord.

About Biogen Idec

Biogen Idec creates new standards of care in oncology, neurology and immunology. As a global leader in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of novel therapies, Biogen Idec transforms scientific discoveries into advances in human healthcare. For product labeling, press releases and additional information about the company, please visit www.biogenidec.com.

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Source: Biogen Idec