Possible novel therapy for Multiple Sclerosis discovered

[MSUK]

Semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D) is a viable target for therapy in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to findings published in Neurobiology of Disease.

Researchers from Vaccinex, Inc. in Rochester, New York conducted a study of mouse models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) – a surrogate for human MS – in order to determine if SEMA4D or any specific novel molecular therapy would make a viable target. The investigators created a monoclonal antibody which binds animal model SEMA4D with high affinity and inhibits the binding between SEMA4D and its receptors. In the process, anti SEMA4D binds in vitro to the recombinant SEMA4D, which prohibited the survival and differentiation of oligodendrocytes precursor cells (OPCs) – important for maintaining the myelin coating on neurons. The EAE rodents demonstrated anti SEMA4D significantly inhibited the development of the neurodegenerative diseases by preserving the BBB integrity and axonal myelination..... Read more - http://www.ms-uk.org/myelin