MS Mice Walk Again – U of Utah

[lyndacarol]

This article from the University of Utah yesterday is entitled, "Mice with MS-like Condition Walk Again after Human Stem Cell Treatment."

http://healthcare.utah.edu/publicaffair ... atment.php

[melko321]

I'm surprised this news is received so... indifferently. No comments.
I was very excited when I read this yesterday and came here to share with everyone, but I see that you've done it already, lyndacarol, and I'm surprised nobody is listening.
I think this is very good news, and I'm not the type that gets excited over nothing. If I may qoute another member of the forum - "a cure for MS will probably be stumbled upon by some researcher". Well, this might as well be it. The only question now is - will we live to see the benefits? I sure hope so.

[ribeye]

Wondering if the opposite would be true. Mouse or any mammal stem cells being used in humans. Kinda freeky. But I would sure try about anything.

[DrGeoff]

But for a somewhat different view, read the Barts and London blog on the topic:

http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blog ... -cure.html

Looks like a lot of this study does not offer much for humans to get excited about.
Geoff

[melko321]

aw, shucks...
I thought that the fact that this news was on a well-known science website (I assume I can't say which one, that would be advertising) actually meant something. Too bad.
I guess we can at least hope it's a step in the right direction, that they at least found something new in the world of MS.

[cheerleader]

Thanks for the link, Dr. Geoff--
As Dr. G states--the mice had viral demyelination for 14 days....nothing like MS in humans.

What's really sad is that stories like this one get picked up all over the news, while a study showing Treg cells increased in humans with MS --with reduced symptoms and inflammation-- simply using UV ray therapy is ignored.
http://ccsviinms.blogspot.com/2014/04/m ... mptom.html
Or the study on how aerobic exercise increased memory and hippocampal size in people with progressive MS.
http://ccsviinms.blogspot.com/2013/11/a ... otion.html

There are real things that real people with MS can do today, to help themselves reduce inflammation and maintain brain mass....but sunshine, exercise, sleep and nutrition won't bring in any funding for research, and you sure can't monetize them.
cheer

[dlynn]

cheerleader,
I do agree that a viral form of demyelination is not m.s., but isn't demyelination all the same? Are the T-cells what repair the myelin? And are they the "Treg cells? I think I might have mentioned, in the past, LDN http://www.ldnhilft.org/Originalfassung_000.htm " How Naltrexone Works: The benefits of the drug are apparently due to the temporary inhibition of endorphins (a natural pain-killer, produced in the brain). This results in a reactive increase in the production of endorphins, which should result in a reduction of painful symptoms, and an increased sense of wellbeing.

Increased levels of endorphins should be expected to stimulate the immune system, promoting an increase in the number of T-lymphocytes. This effect was observed in Dr Bihari's research. This increase in T-cell numbers apparently restores a more normal balance of the T-cells such that the effects of the disease process are significantly reduced. It has been observed that in those suffering the relapsing-remitting form of MS the number of relapses is reduced, and the rate of progression of the disease is diminished. In chronic progressive MS (either primary or secondary) there seems to be a similar reduction in the progression of disease symptoms"
And can Vitamin D3, pill form, have the same effect (although I do prefer the sun)?

[cheerleader]

No, all demyelination is not the same, dlynn. Viral demyelination can be positively affected by Treg cells, because this is a primary immune mediated process. But if demyelination is due to hypoperfusion and reduced delivery of oxygen and glucose to the CNS----neurons and oligodendrocytes will continue to die, until the cause of hypoperfusion if treated. Treg cells will not repair a hypoperfused CNS. They can deal with resultant secondary inflammation, but they won't help delivery of glucose and oxygen.

The Evidence for Hypoperfusion as a Factor in MS Lesion Development
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/msi/2013/598093/
Hypoperfusion of the cerebral white matter in multiple sclerosis: possible mechanisms and pathophysiological significance
http://www.nature.com/jcbfm/journal/v28 ... 0872a.html
Cerebral hypoperfusion in multiple sclerosis is reversible and mediated by endothelin-1
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/ ... 0.full.pdf
Hypoperfusion/Reperfusion Theory of MS
http://ccsviinms.blogspot.com/2013/09/m ... perfu.html

cheer

[dlynn]

Oh, ok, Thanks cheer. Now I understand.

[David1949]

I'm happy to see this article, but I remain skeptical. Many year ago there was an article stating that scientists were able to grow hair on bald mice. That sounded very encouraging to me since I'm mostly bald on top. I was hoping that I would soon be able to grow new hair on my head ... or at least mouse fur. But that never happened. The thing is; we aren't mice. What works for mice won't necessarily work for us.

[HarryZ]

I'm happy to see this article, but I remain skeptical. Many year ago there was an article stating that scientists were able to grow hair on bald mice. That sounded very encouraging to me since I'm mostly bald on top. I was hoping that I would soon be able to grow new hair on my head ... or at least mouse fur. But that never happened. The thing is; we aren't mice. What works for mice won't necessarily work for us.

How true!

If you look over the years with MS research, there have been many treatments that have worked on that poor MS mouse. Back in the 90's there was a drug that stopped and reversed the MS disease in that little mouse. They conducted a trial with the drug in which my wife participated. After a year, one of the patients died from heart failure which they directly attributed to the medication. The trial was abruptly stopped and we discovered my wife was on the placebo.

EAE is NOT the same as human MS since it is induced into the mouse. To date, I don't know of any treatment that was successful in the mouse that has eventually worked with humans.

[zjac020]

Lets see if big pharma decide to do some nom-profit research and devlopment and investigate why high doses of vitamin d are proving succesful in multiple sclerosis as Dr. Cicero in Brazil has already found in over a thousand patients.....

[HarryZ]

Lets see if big pharma decide to do some nom-profit research and devlopment and investigate why high doses of vitamin d are proving succesful in multiple sclerosis as Dr. Cicero in Brazil has already found in over a thousand patients.....

Unfortunately big pharma and non-profit research never appear in the same line these days. Big pharma, despite telling us publicly that they are interested in the health of MS patients, are interested in one thing only...big profits!
If they can't make money on it they show no interest. That's just the way it is.