A new study suggests the melanoma cell adhesion molecule, or MCAM, is a vital component in MS attacks on the nervous system. Researchers found that blocking it resulted in a 50 percent disease reduction in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.
The brain-blood barrier normally protects the brain from immune system attacks. In patients with MS, that barrier is crossed by lymphocytes that attack the brain and prevent its proper function. University of Montreal researchers discovered that MCAM lets white blood cells cross the blood-brain barrier. Building on earlier findings, they discovered that CD4 and CD8 cells use MCAM to enter to the central nervous system. In vitro tests in humans, and tests in mice, showed that MCAM can be blocked, delaying onset of the disease and potentially slowing its progress.
The research team collaborated with San Francisco-based Prothena Biosciences. The company developed a drug called PRX003 that is designed to block MCAM and therefore stop the destructive white blood cells from traversing the blood-brain barrier.
Results of mouse model studies sometimes do not translate to humans and may be years away from being a marketable treatment. But according to Dr. Alexandre Prat, lead author of the study, “We believe we have identified the first therapy that will impact the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis by significantly reducing the disability and the disease’s progression.”
The study is published in Annals of Neurology.
Source: MSFYi
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