IgM Antibody question.

[Annette]

Hi All,

I'm new here so apologise if this has already been covered somewhere but I'd like to ask if anyone else has elevated IgM levels. Mine are way over the limit and keep rising. The neuro I saw seemed very concerned about it without being very forthcoming as to why. So I got to researching and found the following article:

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NIH Grant to Study IgM Antibodies in MS


The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $980,000 grant for collaborative research on a class of human IgM antibodies in multiple sclerosis. The grant is given to Acorda Therapeutics will fund research by Allan Bieber, PhD, and Moses Rodriguez, MD of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

The two-year grant is a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant. Acorda received a Phase I STTR grant from the NIH, and with that tested two antibodies, sHIgM22 and sHIgM46, using a widely accepted mouse model for MS. Mice were injected with a virus that causes demyelination in the nervous system similar to that seen with MS in humans. After demyelination started, the mice were then treated with the two antibodies, produced a strong remyelination.

If similar results are seen in more studies, Acorda is expected to file an investigational new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical testing of these antibodies in people.

"Our results indicate that these antibodies are part of the normal immune response in humans that may help protect and repair the brain and spinal cord from injury," says Dr. Rodriguez, who is Professor of Neurology and Immunology at the Mayo Medical School in Rochester.

Demyelination of nerves is the damage that leads to the disabilities associated with MS. Therapies that are currently approved work by slowing the progression of the disease but do affect demyelination of the nerves. The two antibodies being studied appear to stimulate the regrowth of myelin, providing a different of therapeutic approach for treating of MS.

Acorda, located in Hawthorne, NY, is a privately held biotechnology company, which is developing therapies for spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions, including MS.
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If these antibodies are responsible for stimulating the regrowth of myelin shouldn't I be jumping for joy at my elevated levels?

Can anyone shed any light on this for me?

Does anyone else have really high IgM levels?

Many thanks

Annette.

[Daunted]

IgM levels of what antibody, exactly?

[Annette]

Oh Gosh! My results don't include that detail. Guess I'll have to contact the lab now, right?

Annette

[carolew]

The physician probably did an immunoglobulin electrophoresis and the ones that were elevated were IgM's. That test doesn't say to what exactly the immunoglobulins are reacting. . It means that your body has produced a large anount of that specific type of immunoglobulins. Several diseases cause such an elevation. I am not certain of the etiology for your rise in IgM. It, of course, is part of the immune system and reflects that it has memorised an immune reaction to something or , may be abnormaly high, as it happens in multiple myelomas.

[carolew]

MAJOR CORRECTION HERE, NOT SEEN IN MULTIPLE MYELOMA. IT IS A MAJOR ANTIBODY TO GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA. SORRY.

[Annette]

Thanks for the response. Not quite sure what I should be tested for now as to my rising levels. It just keeps going up!

Annette.