The immune attack in MS unleashes a cascade of events that damage the wire-like arms of nerve cells (axons) and the insulating tissue (myelin) that wraps around axons, disrupting nerve signal transmission. Understanding the processes that lead to tissue damage in MS is crucial to feed parallel efforts to protect and repair the central nervous system.
Here are some projects, large and small, focusing on understanding and stopping the destruction of tissues in MS:
- The MS Lesion Project is a major collaboration of investigators worldwide who seek to understand the damage MS does to the nervous system and ultimately improve its treatment. This large-scale project is funded through the Society’s Promise: 2010 Initiative.
Collaborative Research Centers Focusing on Understanding MS Damage include:
- Paula Dore-Duffy, PhD (Wayne State University) and colleagues are exploring changes in the brain and spinal cord in MS that may hold clues to its destructive nature and provide better ways to predict and track the disease.
- Rhonda Voskuhl, MD (University of California, Los Angeles) and her team are characterizing the nerve-fiber damage that occurs in MS and developing candidate molecules to protect brain tissue.
- Peter A. Calabresi, MD (Johns Hopkins University) is leading an effort to define how nerve fibers are damaged during MS, and how to protect them.
- Jorge R. Oksenberg, PhD (University of California at San Francisco) and colleagues are seeking molecules that may be used as "markers" to predict MS progression.
- Anne H. Cross, MD (Washington University, St. Louis) and colleagues are developing better technologies to diagnose and track MS.
Other projects focusing on MS damage and ways to stop it include:
- John Rose, MD (VA Medical Center Salt Lake City) is investigating the potential role of an inflammatory protein called COX-2 in the destruction of myelin-making cells in MS. In the course of MS, the immune attack can destroy not only nerve-insulating myelin, but also the brain cells that manufacture myelin, called oligodendrocytes. Dr. Rose’s team is investigating the contribution of an inflammatory protein called COX-2 to oligodendrocyte death, myelin damage, and symptom severity in mice with an MS-type disease. They are also testing the effectiveness of COX-2 inhibitors in protecting oligodendrocytes and reducing inflammation. Understanding the causes of oligodendrocyte loss may lead to the design of therapeutic interventions that restore myelin production and function.
- Isobel Scarisbrick, PhD (Mayo Clinic and Foundation) is investigating a newly identified enzyme family, the kallikreins, to clarify their role in the development of MS. Preliminary data indicate that these proteins may participate in inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. The team is evaluating kallikrein activity in samples of brain tissue damaged by MS, and in blood samples from people with MS. They are attempting to find correlations between kallikrein activity, tissue damage, and disease activity. These studies can point out molecules involved in the development of MS that may serve as targets for the development of new therapeutic approaches.