New MS Therapy Seen to Promote Myelin Regeneration in Preclinical Study

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., announced the publication of a research article detailing the process by which Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), the company’s novel therapeutic peptide, effectively promoted the remyelination process in two separate animal models commonly used for multiple sclerosis (MS) research. The article, “Thymosin beta4 promotes oligodendrogenesis in the demyelinating central nervous system,” was published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease.

Myelin is a lipidic material that protects the nerve fibers in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Myelination, the process of myelin formation around neurons, is carried out by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). These mature cells do not have the capacity to replicate, so once they are destroyed the only way to reinitiate myelination would be to recruit or generate oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). These precursor cells may then proliferate and differentiate into myelin-producing mature oligodendrocytes.

Demyelination (the process of myelin destruction) is a hallmark of MS, leading to progressive neurodegeneration and synaptic failure. Currently no effective remyelination therapies are in use.

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