Antibody may Help Treat MS

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An antibody may lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Mayo Clinic researchers say giving mice a low dose of a human antibody can repair myelin, the insulating covering of nerves. When myelin is damaged, it can lead to MS and other disorders of the central nervous system.

“The concept of using natural human antibodies to treat disease of this kind has not yet been tested in humans, but these research findings are very promising,�?study author Moses Rodriguez, M.D., neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., was quoted as saying.

Myelin repair normally occurs on its own. However, in patients with MS and other central nervous system disorders, the repair is either very slow or it doesn’t work at all. Researchers are trying to find out how to speed up myelin’s healing process, hopefully leading to new treatments.

In this study, the antibody was genetically engineered from a single cell. It binds to myelin and the surface of cells in the brain and spinal cord. The antibody then triggers the cells to begin the repair process. Results show the repair plateaued after five weeks in the mice models.

The study also revealed when the antibody was combined with the steroid, methylprednisolone (Medrol), it still triggered the repair process and did not make the mice worse. This is critical, because MS patients often take the steroid.

“The findings could eventually lead to new treatments that could limit permanent disability,�?study author Arthur Warrington, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, was quoted as saying.

About 300,000 people in the United States have MS. It affects about twice as many women as men. Most have their first symptoms between ages 20 and 40.

Original Article HERE

SOURCE: American Neurological Association Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., October 7-10, 2007