In fact, in at least one publication, it’s being publicized as the holy grail of MS research. As someone who once considered engaging in scholarly study of Arthurian legend and grail lore, I’m not particularly fond of the search for a cure for our disease being likened to a centuries-long, unsuccessful quest for a likely nonexistent artifact. But we’ll give that a pass for the moment.
A Reminder About MS ‘Cures’
The term “cure” has also been bandied about when it comes to this discovery, but it’s important to remember that a cure for multiple sclerosis looks different to different people. Way back in March 2006, I wrote a piece calling it a “cure in three acts”: There is stopping the damage from occurring (neuroprotection), correcting damage done by the disease (remyelination), and stopping the disease from occurring (vaccination?). In the current research, we’re talking about the first leg in this tripod: neuroprotection.
Speeding Up a Normal Repair Mechanism
Researchers in Scotland have found a naturally occurring mechanism in the body — which they’ve named “axonal response of mitochondria to demyelination (ARMD).” This is the body’s own slow response to what we’ll call “normal” damage to myelin — the fatty, protective coating on nerves in the central nervous system — that might occur every now and then in a healthy person. But while it might work fast enough for everyday myelin bumps and scrapes, it cannot keep up with the pace nor the scale of damage wreaked on the central nervous system of a person with multiple sclerosis. However, by using the approved diabetes drug pioglitazone in mice and on human cells, researchers gave the mitochondria (the cells’ “powerhouses”), which move en masse to the site of damage via ARMD, a boost in correcting the damage done by MS. The study, published on June 20, 2020, in Acta Neuropathologica, shows the treatment has promise not just for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, but also for those with primary- or secondary-progressive MS as well. Because pioglitazone is already proved safe in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in humans, clinical trials of the drug as a treatment for multiple sclerosis can move far more quickly than could a novel therapy candidate. This initial phase of research was carried out in 15 hospitals and universities around the globe, so an international research base has already been established for continued investigation of the potential therapy.
As Always, ‘More Research Is Required’
Dr. Don Mahad, a senior clinical research fellow and honorary consultant neurologist at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, of course cautions that more research is required to confirm these early findings. But he and his team hope that the treatment could be available within five years if it continues to prove effective. Human trials are already underway in the next phase of research. Researchers have placed a new key into the lock that is multiple sclerosis, and we will see if by repairing damage to myelin quickly enough to make a real difference for people living with MS, they are able to turn that key in the lock. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers, Trevis
