DNA Plasmid Vaccination for Multiple Sclerosis

[thinkingoutloud86]

not really sure where to put this article...unfortunately, i am only able to get part of the article...tried to google the title, but had little success...here is the link and what i was able to find:

http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/conten ... 64/10/1385

In this issue of the Archives, Bar-Or and coworkers1 report on a successful attempt to induce antigen-specific tolerance with a DNA encoding myelin basic protein (MBP) vaccine in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Two questions immediately arise: (1) why vaccinate patients with MS with a self antigen, and (2) why use a DNA plasmid vaccine?

Multiple sclerosis is the most common inflammatory, demyelinating, and neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) in humans. A pathological hallmark of MS is the infiltration of leukocytes into the brain and spinal cord. Not surprisingly, controlling the migration of T cells, B cells, and other immunocompetent myeloid cells into the brain and spinal cord has been a major target of drug development over the last 15 years. Substantial evidence for the role of myelin-specific T cells in CNS demyelinating disorders has been derived from investigations of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the archetypal