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Significant 2005 Advances in Multiple Sclerosis Research & PatientCare Spearheaded By National MS Society Funding

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 09:00 CST

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- 2005 saw rapid research progress, in the fields of science and medicine, which impact our understanding of multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable neurological disease. In 2005, the National MS Society was able to invest over $35 million into MS research projects in the U.S. and abroad. The Society is currently supporting over 350 MS research projects internationally.

In addition to experimental drugs already in the pipeline, there are more than 130 clinical trials underway.

Key highlights of the year include:

-- The largest awards ever made for research aimed at protecting the central nervous system and reversing neurological damage in people with MS went to four lead teams in the U.S. and Europe. This supports the Society's goal of bringing basic science to the bedside within the next five years. These awards are part of the Society's promise: 2010 initiative, which will devote at least $30 million for targeted areas of research and patient care that hold great potential, but have, until now, been under-explored.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-Targeted.asp

-- The first ever network of Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence were established as part of the Promise: 2010 initiative to address the needs of the estimated 10,000 children who have MS and the additional 15,000 who may be experiencing MS-like symptoms. These six new facilities will set the standard for pediatric MS care and gather critical data to help researchers worldwide better understand MS. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/ news(under)pediatricMScenters.asp

-- Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco found significant differences when comparing the clinical characteristics of MS in Caucasians and African Americans, for example, the latter are more likely to experience a more aggressive course of the disease. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research- 2005Jan19.asp

-- A gene known as Olig1 was linked for the first time to repairing damage that occurs to nerve fiber-insulating myelin in MS by a team of researchers (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY).

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2004Dec28.asp

-- The International MS Genetics Consortium (IMSGC) began an international effort to map the genome of MS. The IMSGC is using a DNA chip that enables investigators to test 500,000 individual genetic locations simultaneously for possible involvement in MS.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2005Sept23.asp

-- Dr. David Hafler (from Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Whitehead Institute, and part of the IMSGC) is conducting a collaborative Haplotype Mapping project in MS, an exciting new approach to finding MS genes. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/ Research-HaflerTeam.asp.

Dr. Hafler is also conducting an "admixture" study comparing genetic material from individuals at low and at high risk for developing MS.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-Hafler3.asp.

-- Harvard researchers reported that smoking was associated with a moderate increase in the risk of developing MS; they also found an association between smoking and risk of MS progression. This study is the first to show that smoking may be a risk factor for MS progression.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2005Apr28-2.asp

-- Harvard researchers reported that women who used oral contraceptives had a 40 percent reduction in the risk of developing multiple sclerosis compared to nonusers.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2005Sept13.asp

-- Oregon Health & Science University investigators administered either ginkgo biloba or an inactive placebo for 12 weeks to 39 individuals with MS and cognitive impairment. The ginkgo biloba group showed improvement in a test that measures learning and memory, suggesting that further study is warranted.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2005Apr28.asp

-- Investigators involved in the MS Lesion Project found that individuals with a specific pattern of tissue damage, who typically do not respond to standard steroid therapy, did respond to plasma exchange therapy.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2005Aug19.asp

Therapies in the Pipeline

There are many drugs being tested against MS, taking many different approaches to combat the disease. Here are a few examples:

-- Early-stage clinical studies are attempting to inhibit immune cells that recognize myelin, including "peptide therapy," research by Arthur Vandenbark, PhD (VA Medical Center, Portland, OR) and a research trial involving a synthetic version of a protein in myelin, MBP8298 (BioMS Medical Corp.) being tested in over 500 persons with secondary-progressive.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-Vandenbark2.asp

http://www.biomsmedical.com/clinicaltrial.asp

-- Immune cells produce powerful messenger chemicals called cytokines that help regulate immune responses. Scientists are seeking ways to block harmful cytokines and enhance the activity of protective cytokines and regulatory immune cells, i.e. one experimental antibody, ABT-874, (Abbott Laboratories) attempts to block interleukin-12, a powerful immune messenger.

-- Two different experimental oral therapies ( http:// www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2005June21.asp ) for MS showed positive results in preliminary Phase 2 clinical trials. The results suggest that FTY720 (Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp) and temsirolimus (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) warrant further clinical study.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2005June21.asp

-- Investigators, such as Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, University of California at Los Angeles, have been experimenting with the ability of sex hormones to alter disease activity in MS, i.e. a clinical trial of testosterone in men and sex hormones in MS models.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-Voskuhl.asp

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-Voskuhl2.asp

-- Researchers are testing the potential of drugs already approved for other disorders. These include statins (used for fighting high cholesterol), which can alter immune responses, and agents that may be protective of nerve tissues, i.e. Lipitor clinical trial led by Dr. Scott Zamvil at the University of California at San Francisco.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Trials-Multicenter.asp

ABOUT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men contracting the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

THE NATIONAL MS SOCIETY

The mission of the National MS Society is to end the devastating effects of MS. Through its home office and 50-state network of chapters, the Society funds more MS research, offers more services to people MS, provides more professional education, and advances more MS advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. For more information, call 1-800-FIGHT MS or visit nationalmssociety.org.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Web site contains details about the highlighted research and other important initiatives: http:// www.nationalmssociety.org/research.asp

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http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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