Multiple Sclerosis

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been rising since 2013, and as of 2020 it was estimated to affect 2.8 million individuals globally. Significant progress has been made in recent decades in the understanding of MS, particularly the relapsing-remitting phase of the disease, and a number of effective disease modifying therapies (DMTs) are now available. However, many of these DMTs are associated with undesirable side effects and are ineffective in treating progressive forms of MS. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapies that are efficacious in progressive MS and exhibit an improved side effect profile.

Models

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE),

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a representative animal model, which manifests, like MS, CNS-related histopathological findings, motor deficits and, inflammatory responses. The immunomodulator, fingolimod, a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) modulator, is the first oral drug that has been approved for treating MS and has been broadly used as a positive control in the EAE mouse model. Our latest results indicate that MCC950 is instrumental in reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines within the central nervous system and in enhancing motor function in the affected animals.

  1. Walton C, King R, Rechtman L, Kaye W, Leray E, Marrie RA, Robertson N, La Rocca N, Uitdehaag B, van der Mei I, Wallin M, Helme A, Angood Napier C, Rijke N, Baneke P. Rising prevalence of multiple sclerosis worldwide: Insights from the Atlas of MS, third edition. Mult Scler. 2020 Dec;26(14):1816-1821. doi: 10.1177/1352458520970841. Epub 2020 Nov 11. PMID: 33174475; PMCID: PMC7720355.

Read the full description: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)

Platforms used

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