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New multiple sclerosis study offers hope for MS patients

Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 5:03 am
by MSUK
A groundbreaking study in multiple sclerosis focusing on “remyelination in the brain” has been initiated by Omar Khan, M.D., professor and chair of neurology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

“This is a novel approach in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, which is characterized by diffuse demyelination and axonal loss in the central nervous system,” said Dr. Khan, who also serves as director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center and director of the Sastry Foundation Advanced Imaging Laboratory. “In this study, we are targeting remyelination in the central nervous system.......” - Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/myelin

Re: New multiple sclerosis study offers hope for MS patients

Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 11:49 am
by Luongo
Can anyone explain to a terribly impatient plebian like myself why for the last X amount of years there seem to be studies every 5 months or so about remyelination, usually peppered with hope-raising language like 'groundbreaking' and 'promising' and none of it ever seems to amount to anything?

Re: New multiple sclerosis study offers hope for MS patients

Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 12:35 pm
by lyndacarol
Luongo wrote:Can anyone explain to a terribly impatient plebian like myself why for the last X amount of years there seem to be studies every 5 months or so about remyelination, usually peppered with hope-raising language like 'groundbreaking' and 'promising' and none of it ever seems to amount to anything?
A VERY good question, Luongo.

Being the skeptic that I am, I have wondered for a long time if the time and money spent on remyelination research was a waste. After all, the lesions are scar tissue which the body has made to fix damage. I have scars on my legs and torso where other injuries healed. The skin on my legs and torso functions just fine with scars. I know that some scars, such as from burns, do not allow for normal function. BUT which is the situation for scars in the CNS? Why are researchers convinced that the symptoms in MS are due to these scars, and NOT due to a problem in the muscles themselves (such as insulin resistance inhibiting the energy source, glucose, from reaching the cell's mitochondria)?

I think researchers are looking in the wrong box of keys for THE key which will unlock this prison of MS.

Re: New multiple sclerosis study offers hope for MS patients

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 6:41 pm
by CureOrBust
lyndacarol wrote:... Why are researchers convinced that the symptoms in MS are due to these scars, and NOT due to a problem in the muscles themselves (such as insulin resistance inhibiting the energy source, glucose, from reaching the cell's mitochondria)?

I think researchers are looking in the wrong box of keys for THE key which will unlock this prison of MS.
I think they can see that the muscles are not being delivered the full electrical impulse required to fire the muscle. Conductivity studies show that the nerve cells outside of the CNS are patent. So, the deduction would be a "cabling" issue inside the CNS.

Re: New multiple sclerosis study offers hope for MS patients

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 8:08 pm
by cheerleader
I agree with Luongo...having been around the MS research world a mere six years, these studies appear to mainly offer "new hope" to the research dept. that has received the funding... here we have the ever gracious and humble Omar Khan--
Dr. Khan said only three molecules in the world, including this monoclonal antibody, are being investigated in patients with multiple sclerosis that focus on remyelination. “It is humbling to lead such a unique groundbreaking effort and that Wayne State University is one of the few centers in the world that are participating in this next true generation translational research,” he said. “ Funded by Vaccinex
http://www.vaccinex.com

don't get me wrong...it would be incredible if this VX15/2503 could remyelinate the brain, but the research is based on this:
MS is also believed to be an immune-mediated disorder and autoimmune T cells, in particular, have been implicated in destruction of normal neuronal tissue. In several different animal models of MS, we have shown that VX15/2503 is capable of blocking SEMA4D-induced activation of inflammatory cells and reducing the number of immune cells that accumulate abnormally in the brain and spinal cord during disease.
http://www.vaccinex.com/pipeline-antibo ... erosis.htm

blatant self-promotion, my new blog, where I write about stuff like gray matter atrophy--the thing that is linked to MS disability and disease progression, and happens to people in the progressive phase of MS.
http://ccsviinms.blogspot.com/2011/12/g ... .html#more

cheer