NANOTECHNOLOGY and MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Information, and resources

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— A nanotechnology approach to controlling multiple sclerosis in mice may benefit humans, a new study shows.

Thanks to new high-powered microscopes, nanotechnology allows scientists to see and manipulate natural and man-made materials on a tiny scale. The nanoparticles in this study were made of the same material as biodegradable stitches, yet so tiny that they were approximately 200 times thinner than a human hair. And instead of helping to heal tissue, the nanoparticles delivered a valuable compound to heal the immune system of mice with MS.

The study offers scientists new insight into the potential of rebooting the immune system of people afflicted by MS, but it is still early to know whether the technique will benefit humans. “There’s a big jump between animals and humans. The immune systems look different and behave differently,” says Daniel Kantor, MD, president of the Florida Society of Neurology and member of the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Kantor says that the study gives hope to researchers who are trying to come up with better treatments and one day a cure for MS. “The next stage is to make sure it’s safe and works in humans. It could be under a decade or decades before the research is proven to be effective,” says Kantor.

MS gradually destroys parts of the brain and spinal cord by inflaming or damaging the myelin sheath. This fatty tissue insulates nerve cells and greases the path of communication between thought in the brain and action in the body. This leads to numbness, balance problems, muscle spasms and other debilitating symptoms.

Autoimmune disorders like MS occur when T-cells — a type of white blood cell within the immune system — mistake the body’s own tissues as a foreign substance and go on the attack. In the case of MS, they confuse myelin as foreign. Scientists aren’t certain why MS attacks myelin, but they do know that if they can control the body’s immune response to the disease, they may be able to stop its progression.

“Our approach resets the immune system so it no longer attacks myelin but leaves the function of the normal immune system intact,” said Stephen Miller, PhD, in a press release about the study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Miller is co-author of the study and professor of microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

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