Antibody Helps Repair MS Nerve Damage

(Page 2)

Laboratory mice that received a single dose of the antibody experienced remyelination that plateaued within five weeks.

When combined with a steroid (often prescribed for patients with MS), the antibody continued to promote remyelination, the research team said. Most human patients who might receive the antibody one day in the future will have already been treated with this steroid, they noted.

The antibodies did not appear to have any side effects, even at 4,000 times the minimal effective dose.

The Mayo team will eventually have to replicate the findings in humans before the concept can become an effective therapy, experts say.

"This approach is trying to use a naturally occurring molecule in our body in such a way that it binds to the cell and triggers signals within the cell to begin the repair process," O'Looney said. "This is a very exciting area of research in MS. How do you stimulate natural repair? How do you stimulate cells already there to repair the damage that's done? This is a unique, different way of approaching that, and it seems to be very successful in one of the animal models of MS."

More information

For more on multiple sclerosis, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.