There is a new sclerosis treatment being studied in Scotland. Researchers are investigating a new drug that could reverse the effects of this immune-mediated disease.

Pheno Therapeutics Investigating New Sclerosis Treatment

The company secured over £5 million to investigate a new drug that could repair damage to the nervous system that MS has caused.

The drug might also improve symptoms, like speech, vision, and balance, as well as movement.

The study aims to find new treatments for MS. Researchers will try to identify novel molecules that could trigger the body to repair nerve cells that have been damaged by the disease.

Multiple sclerosis is an immune system disease that causes your immune function to attack the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve cells. As a result of the attack, it disrupts signals that go to the nerves.

Remyelination Process

This is what the study is hoping for. Researchers are trying to find a remyelination process that could arrest the progress of MS symptoms.

Current Treatments for MS

Currently, there are several sclerosis treatments that you can find. But none of them aim to reverse MS effects.

Ibudilast MS

One of those medicines is Ibudilast. It is an experimental drug that may treat secondary and primary MS.

It targets cells associated with myelin repair and nerve damage. In some studies, this drug might have a neuroprotective power.

Its phase II study showed that patients taking this medicine slowed down brain volume loss in patients with progressive MS.

Unfortunately, this drug comes with several side effects, like nausea, abdominal pain, rash, and fatigue.

What this drug does is that it prevents the enzyme phosphodiesterase to reduce inflammation. This drug has other uses. In Japan and Korea, ibudilast is being used as a treatment for asthma and stroke complications.

Mavenclad MS Sclerosis Treatment

It is an FDA approved MS treatment that treats relapsing types of MS. Its safety profile allows doctors to recommend it to patients with inadequate response to other drugs for MS.

This drug targets some types of WBC that trigger an immune attack in this kind of disease. It reduces T and B lymphocytes without having to suppress the immune system.

Are There Ways to Prevent Multiple Sclerosis?

Unfortunately, scientists are still looking for ways that can cure or prevent MS. Keep in mind that this condition is still not fully understood.

Scientists believe that genes and environmental factors could cause the development of this immune-related condition.

Potential MS Prevention and Intermittent Fasting

Some studies showed taking vitamin D may prevent MS.

In an animal study in 2016, fasting could have beneficial effects for MS but only the relapsing-remitting type.

In another study by the Washington University School of Medicine published in 2018, researchers looked into how fasting could improve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The study put one diet to the test. It cut calories drastically twice a week. The hope was to change the immune environment and gut microbiome of the body. As a result, it could change the progress of the disease. The said study originated in the lead author’s research about how fasting could reduce MS symptoms in mice.

“Because MS is so variable and people with relapsing-remitting MS can be stable and nearly symptom-free for long periods, you’d need a huge study to see any benefit. Instead, what we want to find out is whether people on limited fasts undergo changes to their metabolism, immune response and microbiome similar to what we see in the mouse.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180709152658.htm

However, the study did not conclude that intermittent fasting could indeed treat MS. Rather, the researchers believe that diet alone could not cure multiple sclerosis. However, they recommend that adding it to current treatments may help patients to feel better.

Calorie Restriction Through Intermittent Fasting

Calorie restriction may work in MS because it reduces inflammation. As it reduces the number of pro-inflammatory molecules, IF could increase anti-inflammatory molecules.

Reducing calories alone could be difficult for some patients. Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, is more feasible for many patients.

Several studies are being conducted to find how changing the patient’s diet could improve MS symptoms.

Our ancestors fasted. But how they did fasting was different. And we might not be able to copy them because our society is surrounded by food.

Some patients did confirm that their MS symptoms subsided when they started following intermittent fasting. But these patients are following an 8/16 plan. Then, they add three-day fasts once a quarter.

To find success in this type of fasting, you need to start slow. If you do it incorrectly, you will find yourself overeating or over-consuming food. That is, you have undone what you just did.

Who is at risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis?

It is not contagious and you cannot inherit it directly from your parents. However, some factors could increase your risk.

If you have a family history of MS, you are likely to develop it. It is also likely to develop to patients living in higher temperatures than those in tropical ones.

Some viruses may also cause this type of disease. Furthermore, if you are suffering from a certain form of auto-immune disease, then you are likely to develop MS.

Then again, MS is not fully understood. Any person could develop it, no matter the age, sex and family history.

The proper diet may still help. That is, you need to eat healthy food and avoid junk foods. Unhealthy food options can cause inflammation in the body. And inflammation may start your immune system to go awry.

Then again, scientists are still understanding how multiple sclerosis starts and how it develops symptoms.

This kind of disease is not fully understood yet. For that reason, you cannot easily find treatments that directly treat the disease. Most treatments will only target the symptoms.

Terminus

But the latest sclerosis treatment study from Pheno Therapeutics might be the answer we have been waiting for. Still, the study can take a while before the researchers could identify the right treatment to reverse the effects of MS.