This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Douglas Feinstein, PhD
University of Illinois at Chicago
The School of Medicine
Chicago, IL
Region: Greater Illinois Chapter
Award: Research Grant
Term/Amount: 10/1/04-9/30/07 $360,113

“Therapeutic potential of PPAR delta agonists in demyelinating disease” Determining whether a natural brain chemical can stop MS-like disease and stimulate myelin repair by replacement cells.

MS is thought to result from an immune attack on nerve-insulating myelin and nerve fibers, with immune cells migrating into the brain and increasing production of inflammatory immune proteins. Recent evidence suggests that certain medications approved by the FDA to treat diabetes, known as PPAR-gamma agonists, can reduce the activity of genes that regulate such immune responses in the brain.

Douglas Feinstein, PhD, has found that treatment with PPAR-gamma agonists reduced the incidence and the severity of EAE, an MS-like disease, in mice by reducing inflammation and blocking immune T cells. His team also has shown that treatment with a slightly different drug – a PPAR-delta agonist – results in the growth and development of myelin-making cells. Together, these two agonists might control immune responses early in disease, and stimulate myelin repair later on.

Dr. Feinstein is exploring the mechanisms by which PPAR-delta can stimulate myelin growth, focusing on the effects of this agent on mice with EAE and in laboratory experiments using isolated mouse and human nervous system cells. This project should provide vital information necessary to determine whether PPAR-delta agonist will be a useful treatment for people with MS.