Blood cell development offers hope in fight against multiple sclerosis

by Rich Bowden - Mar 25 2008, 06:23

A drug recently tested on humans, which stimulates the development of T-cells, offers hope in the battle against multiple sclerosis and other auto-immune diseases.

A new T-cell generating drug may help in treating MS Photo: Multiple sclerosis. Credit: dominikgolenia/Flickr

T-cells are a form of white blood cell which assists the body's immune system attack specific pathogens and researchers have had success when they have administered the drug to mice."We know that it generates t-cell lines that are regulatory for auto immune diseases and that the same t-cell line will suppress three different auto immune diseases in mice," said study author Jack Strominger of Harvard University."It is also effective in several other auto immune diseases in mice, so it's possible this class of molecules could be more broadly used than simply for multiple sclerosis," he added.Multiple sclerosis or MS is a disease which affects the central nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord. The cause of the disease is still yet to be discovered despite it being the most common neurological condition afflicting young adults.Strominger told AFP news agency he and his team developed a relative of the drug Copaxone which is currently used to treat the condition. The team tested the new drug on mice directly before generating a T-cell line from the treated mice."Whether this relative or another one is going to replace Copaxone, I don't know but there are certain to be second or third generation drugs in this category," he said. "Mice are not man and the only way to find out whether FYAK is more effective than Copaxone is to do a clinical trial."The study has been reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Blood cell development offers hope in fight against multiple sclerosis

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