Now
ocrelizumab binds to a molecule
on immune B cells, eliminating
them from the body. (See chart,
page 59.)
So what’s next for tackling
immune activity in MS?
Researchers funded by the
National MS Society are hot on
the trail of new ideas for more
specific and longer-lasting ways
of stopping the immune attack
in MS in its tracks.
A new look at triggers
Studying what turns on the
immune attack in MS can offer
new targets for turning it off.
Robert Clark, MD, and
Frank Nichols, DDS, PhD
(University of Connecticut
Health Center), have studied
how the immune attack
launches in both MS and
rheumatoid arthritis. They
recently made an important
discovery relevant to MS.
Each person has millions of
harmless bacteria, known as
“commensal” bacteria, living
inside of them. Dr. Clark and
his colleagues have found
that these bacteria produce
lipids—fatty substances—that
increase the severity of EAE,
an MS-like disease, in mice.
Now they are looking at the
precise molecular pathways by
which these lipids affect EAE.
They are also looking at how
the lipids function in blood and
brain tissue from people with
MS. Results so far suggest that
these lipids are present in unique
patterns in people with MS,
These results may provide the first direct
evidence that these lipids play a role in
triggering MS.
compared with people who don’t
have MS.
Dr. Clark’s results may
provide the first direct evidence
that these lipids play a role in
triggering MS, yielding new
targets for slowing or preventing
immune attacks. Also,
measuring the lipids’ presence
in the blood may serve as a new
test for MS disease activity.
Dr. Clark’s work is part of a
new approach to understanding
how the normally friendly
germs that live in our intestines,
mouths and other areas of the
body may profoundly influence
immune activity and disease
susceptibility.
Howard L. Weiner, MD
(Harvard Medical School)—
who earned the 2007 John
Dystel Prize for MS Research
for his contributions toward
understanding the development
of the immune attack in MS
and translating these findings
into MS treatments—is
exploring this new frontier in
immunology as well. Dr. Weiner
recently earned a pilot research
grant to test whether bacteria in
the gut differ between people
with MS and those without
MS. Since these bacteria are
known to influence the immune
response, such differences may
help explain why the immune
response goes awry in MS.
