Oct 22, 2009
‘At the beginning of the end’ of finding a cure
Our immune system has a big, tough job. It must protect us 24/7 against the multitude of germs and foreign invaders in our environment, and sometimes it goofs up.
With MS, the body’s defense system erroneously attacks and damages the myelin sheath insulating nerves in the brain and spinal cord. In other autoimmune diseases – lupus, type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis – the tissues that come under fire are different, but the process of attack is very similar.
Understanding what autoimmune diseases have in common is vital, says Dr. Gerald Nepom, director and founder of the Benaroya Research Institute in Seattle, which is working with the support of the Chapter and others to unlock the mysteries of the immune system, and ultimately, find causes and cures for some of our most devastating diseases.
(A $50,000 Chapter grant in 2006 for a dedicated MS clinical research coordinator helped the Institute secure $5 million in funding from the state’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund.)
Dr. Nepom says researchers didn’t realize the remarkable similarities between autoimmune conditions until the early 1980s when he and other scientists identified the genes that regulate the immune system (and commonly go wrong).
He likens it to running a stop sign. Instead of halting when it hits healthy tissue, the immune system attacks. “So, to treat these diseases, you need to treat the immune system,” he says.
One MS drug – Tysabri – does just that. Two more “immune modulator” drugs – Rituximab (used for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis) and Efalizumab (for psoriasis) – are in medical trials for use against relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.
These drugs are very effective, but they require complicated injections, are very expensive and carry rare but significant risks, Dr. Nepom says.
And research has not shown them to be effective against progressive (non-remitting) forms of MS.
“We need to improve safety, develop oral alternatives, decrease costs and address progressive forms of the disease,” he adds.
Even though there’s much to learn, we’ve made “absolutely huge” progress over the last 15 to 20 years, Dr. Nepom says, adding that “we’re at the beginning of the end” of finding a cure for MS.
Ongoing MS-related research at the Institute includes projects that focus on matching clinical trials to participants; developing blood tests to determine disease progression; and learning more about how the immune system acts and regulates itself.
Dr. Nepom advises people living with MS to be their own advocates when it comes to seeking treatment. Many more options exist if you’re not doing well on one of the conventional therapies.
Heidi Barber, a Puyallup veterinarian with MS, took part in a recent clinical trial through the Institute, in part, because she wanted to help advance research.
She’s now on Tysabri, a drug that’s injected every six months, and doing well. “The every-other-day injections just got to be too painful,” she says. “And, with my busy work schedule, I’d forget which day I took it. I’m feeling a lot better now.”
TO LEARN MORE about autoimmune research, clinical trials and immune modulating drugs, talk to your neurologist, read more in the Research section of our website or go to www.benaroyaresearch.org.