MS Research Roundup: January 31, 2014
New Molecule for Myelin Repair in Mice; Synapses Under Fire; New Dose for Copaxone; Mind-Altering Microbes
MS Research Roundup collects items of interest to multiple sclerosis researchers from around the Web. Send us your tips: tips@msdiscovery.org.
Of Mouse and Myelin
In repair news, "researchers have pinpointed a molecule—called 'Contactin-1'—that is crucial to the formation of the myelin coating along nerve fibers, which is damaged in MS, and [that] represents a novel target for developing strategies for repairing myelin to restore function in people with MS." The study, from Barbara Ranscht, Ph.D. (Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, CA) and colleagues in California and Sweden, is published early online January 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
Save the Synapses
Myelin isn't the only casualty in MS. Synapses are lost in every phase of the disease, further endangering affected axons. In an interview, Ben Barres, M.D., Ph.D., of Stanford University discusses his lab's work on glia, the classical complement cascade immune pathway, and implications for future treatments. "People have been so focused on the immune system and myelin, but this work would suggest that we need to also look at ways to block the synapse degeneration part of the disease," he said. But wait, there's more. The interview follows up a December 5 webcast with Barres, Jonah Chan, Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco), Timothy Coetzee, Ph.D. (NMSS), and Rhonda Voskuhl, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles). No time to watch the video? Download the transcript (PDF). (MS Connection , NMSS)
Higher Dose, Fewer Shots
The folks at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries aren't the only ones popping the cork on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the longer-acting formulation of Copaxone, originally a daily injectable at half the dose. Wayne State University is the proud home institution of Omar Khan , M.D., the global principal investigator of the Glatiramer Acetate Low-Frequency Administration (GALA) study, published online June 28, 2013, in the Annals of Neurology. The study found that the higher dose, injected three times a week, is at least as effective as daily injections in achieving the drug's immunologic effect and therapeutic efficacy. Injection site reactions were the most common adverse event. The GALA study was placebo-controlled, but a previous study showed similar rates of skin reactions. Stay tuned for new dosing regimes to be tested, according to the Wayne State release. (FiercePharma, Wayne State University)
Mind-Altering Microbes
One cherished factoid may have taken a tumble, but it's almost as mind-blowing that three out of every four cells in the human body are microbes (instead of nine out of 10). In his blog, the motorcycle-riding, guitar-playing director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (yeah, that Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D.) called out studies tracing the impact of gut microbes on the brain, immune system, and in MS in a recent blog post showcasing the fledgling lab of NIH Early Independence Awardee Elaine Hsiao, Ph.D., of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. (NIH Director's Blog, The Tree of Life blog, On Science Blogs)
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