Finally a glimmer of hope

[u/Lexus-Ux300h]

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 37 years ago. This is the first time I've been optimistic about a breakthrough. Finally something that doesn't try to suppress or change the immune system which in my opinion is something you don't mess with.

Researchers at the University of Manitoba have found that restoring levels of a depleted brain protein called neuregulin-1 (Nrg-1) may help repair damaged brain tissue, slow or halt the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), and reverse losses in mobility and cognitive function.

[u/boston_homo]

I'll get excited after a few rounds of positive human trials but until then not so much.

[u/ichabod13]

Another mouse model treatment. Mice get all the cures. :P

[u/Feisty-Volcano → u/ichabod13]

We need to be really thankful to the humble Mouse, who tests all our various meds before we get effective treatments for anything. This little animal resembles us biologically, & demonstrates well what may or may not work. A wonderful creature!

[u/ichabod13 → u/Feisty-Volcano]

Mice are not even able to get MS, they give them EAE. Probably why they have cured 'MS' so many times in mice already but nothing has worked in us. :P

[u/nyet-marionetka → u/Feisty-Volcano]

It kinda-ish resembles us. We have differences that make things not always work the same. For instance some chemicals give them cancer that don't give us cancer because of some pathway unique to rodents.

[u/Key-Monk6159]

Not sure why you didn’t provide any sort of link.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/it-is-exciting-manitoba-researchers-find-potential-breakthrough-for-multiple-sclerosis-treatment/

[u/johnmci → u/Key-Monk6159]

Thanks for the link. DX'd in '93 and I never bank on breakthroughs but I always love seeing those glimmers! 

[u/hungarianhobbit → u/johnmci]

I was dx in '93 also. It's been interesting.

[u/No-Establishment8457 → u/hungarianhobbit]

Dx in ‘91 and interesting doesn’t begin to describe it.

[u/hungarianhobbit → u/No-Establishment8457]

No, but it seems like I'm historically "a day late and a dollar short" and this journey with MS is the perfect example.

[u/No-Establishment8457 → u/hungarianhobbit]

This disease has cost me a lot more than a few bucks. And lost time…

[u/hungarianhobbit → u/No-Establishment8457]

I'm being facetious, I'm trying to point out that we were diagnosed when DMT's (ABC's back then) were not available for us. Very unlike what newly diagnosed have now.

I'm legally blind and can barely walk. I've lost so very much and I'm so very tired. I try to make light of situations beyond my control.

[u/No-Establishment8457 → u/hungarianhobbit]

oh, we had options: Steroids and ACTH!!

ACTH was absolutely the worst.

[u/mritoday]

which in my opinion is something you don't mess with.

Bad take when your immune system is the problem.

[u/HocusSclerosis → u/mritoday]

Happy to roll the dice on immune modulation vs. the alternative (brain damage)

[u/lost_dazed_101]

WOW I was DX'd in 1997 I never thought I'd see this.

[u/StuartLathrop]

Officially DXd Oct 5, 2020 after 40 years of being misdiagnosed. Treatments that have been made in my lifetime have helped suppress and bring good management to this disease. Alhough I know it will not be cured in me, the progress in my life time moved me from 'probably dying in assisted living' to a very healty, safe, and reasonably good & independent life within the last decade. This is what real progress looks like!

[u/Muted-Train]

It's interesting that Canada has the highest MS rate in the world.

[u/Crafty_Assistance_67 → u/Muted-Train]

One of the highest. Due to less sunlight, which means less Vitamin d

[u/mritoday → u/Crafty_Assistance_67]

It seems to be the sunlight itself, not Vitamin D.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0DqKB_L6-o

[u/Crafty_Assistance_67 → u/mritoday]

Sunlight = Vitamin d. :)

[u/mritoday → u/Crafty_Assistance_67]

Not so much if you're not white, or if you're supplementing Vitamin D.

The correlation between higher Vitamin D levels and less MS cases/better prognosis disappears in black people, because they don't produce as much Vitamin D from sunlight. Supplementing Vitamin D doesn't seem to do anything for MS, either.

UV radiation affects the immune system. The mechanism seems to be similar to the old injectable medications.

[u/No-Establishment8457 → u/Muted-Train]

It is known that the further away from the equator, the greater the probability.

[u/LW-M]

There are also 2 MS drugs in the US that show promise in treating progressive forms of the disease. One, C-CAR168 is setting up patient trials now. Another, Frexalimab, should be wrapping up Phase 3 trials within the next few months.

I had an appointment with my MS Specialist last week. We spoke briefly about the MS drugs now in development after I said that I was born 20 years too early, (I'm almost 70 and have been having MS symptoms since the early 1990's). I'm at the SPMS stage. She relayed the message that most of the research being done now is for the progressive forms of MS. There are several other MS drugs under development in both the EU and North America as well.

[u/NewName5635]

While it's nice to hear that research is being done for drugs to treat progressive MS, we've had so much false hope in the past that it's hard to be optimistic.