MS is believed to turn the body’s immune system against itself to destroy the nerve-insulating myelin, disrupting how signals travel from the brain and spinal cord. Current treatments thus suppress the overactive immune system—but in the process they leave the patient more vulnerable to infection and relapses of symptoms.
The treatment approach in trials now instead ‘retrains’ patients’ immune systems to tolerate myelin. Previous studies in mice have shown that delivering pieces of the myelin protein to the bloodstream can desensitize the immune system to myelin and slow degeneration.
It was a small trial and was only designed to tolerability, not efficacy, but it’s interesting nonetheless.★
Follow me on twitter.