Research advances funded by NMSS
- From: "rose" <rosedawn_scott@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 31 Jan 2006 06:25:54 -0800
a lot of these are things w've already heard about. what i liked about
this format was, the info is listed and an URL given right afterwards
-- so anything that catches your eye and you'd like to learn more
about, there's a handy-dandy link to that specific issue.
some of these are news to me, but most are not. it's very interesting
to keep up with what the NMSS is funding, and how the projects they
fund are doing, IMHO, so here ya go, FYI, and maybe someone will see a
study that really fits their own situation.
enJoy!
RD
----------------
Significant 2005 Advances in multiple sclerosis
Research & Patient Care
Spearheaded by National MS Society Funding
NEW YORK – 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_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% 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.
www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-Vandenbark2.asp,
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.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/pdf/research/clinicaltrials.pdf
· Two different experimental oral therapies 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.
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.
www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-Voskuhl.asp,
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.
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.
ABOUT 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 with MS, provides more professional education, and advances more
MS advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. This
is why we’re here. Studies show that early and ongoing
treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease
activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple
sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the
National MS Society at www.nationalmssociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS to
learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current
research that may one day reveal a cure.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Web site contains details about the highlighted
research and other important initiatives:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/research.asp.
Everyone deserves reliable, affordable healthcare.
This is why we advocate.
Join our advocacy action network at
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/advocacy.asp
For more information on MS or our special event fundraisers, please
visit us on the web at www.mspacific.org.
.
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