obtain funding from the National
Institutes of Health. The team
recently published results on the
gene that instructs “pescadillo,”
a protein crucial to the growth of
myelin-making cells. Pescadillo
was originally discovered in
zebrafish and has subsequently
been identified in mice and
humans as well. Dr. Appel’s team
found that the pescadillo-directing
gene is required for the proper
number of myelin-making cells
to form, and for other myelin-related genes to function normally
(PLOS One 2012;7e32317).
These experiments should
extend our knowledge of the
molecular mechanisms that guide
the myelin-making process, and
inform efforts to find ways to
repair myelin damaged by MS.
More potential treatments
A sea anemone common in the
Caribbean is known by the
scientific name Stichodactyla
helianthus. In 1995, researchers
administered extracts of this
anemone to mice, resulting in a
toxic reaction. Upon examining
this reaction, the team discovered
that a protein fragment called
“ShK” in the extract blocked ion
channels (Toxicon 1995;33:603).
Ion channels are tiny pores that
allow charged particles—sodium,
potassium and calcium ions, for
example—to pass in and out
of a cell. These channels are made
up of protein molecules that
assemble to form a water-filled
tunnel across the cell’s protective
membrane.
Dr. K. George Chandy
(University of California, Irvine)
and his colleagues have focused
on ion channels on the surface
of immune T cells, which allow
T cells to become activated
and are thought to lead the
immune-system attack against
the nervous system. Dr. Chandy
discovered a key channel, Kv1.3,
and modified ShK molecules to
create an experimental treatment,
called ShK-186, to block this
channel.
In a unique pilot project
supported by the Society, Dr.
Chandy’s team found that by
selectively blocking Kv1.3 and
preventing T cell activation, ShK-
186 can prevent experimental
autoimmune encephalomyelitis
(EAE, an MS-like disease) in
rats and treat ongoing disease
(Molecular Pharmacology
2005;67:1369). Dr. Chandy’s
team formed a company, Airmid
Inc., to develop Kv1.3 blockers
as a strategy for MS and similar
diseases. Kineta Inc. acquired this
portfolio in July 2009. In August
2012, Kineta announced that it
had received regulatory approval
in the Netherlands to begin
studying ShK-186 in human trials.
This novel approach may lead
to a therapy that can prevent
the activation of immune cells
responsible for MS attacks, while
leaving the rest of the immune
system intact. Research under
the sea continues to provide
exciting findings that could help
us reach the goal of a world free
of MS. ■
Harry Weaver
Award fuels
bright minds
in MS research
by Elinor Nauen
Engaging the best and brightest minds is crucial to stopping
multiple sclerosis in its tracks,
restoring function and ending
the disease forever. To do this,
we have to attract these minds
to the field of MS research. One
way the Society accomplishes
this is with the Harry Weaver
Neuroscience Scholar Award.
Named after the Society’s
director of research from 1966–
77, this five-year career
development grant is given to
scientists with a promising future
in MS research. Some $12.5 million
has been distributed to 44
individuals and their institutions
since the award began in 1981.
Bringing gender research
to the forefront
The 1997 Weaver Award
supported Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl’s
research
on gender
differences
in MS,
specifically
regarding
whether sex
hormones and
chromosomes
play a role in MS. In the late
1990s, “People were first getting
interested in gender differences in
