Nanoparticles to treat MS
Link: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/11/breakthrough-nanoparticle-halts-multiple-sclerosis.html
Current treatments for relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis involve suppressing the body's entire immune system so that it does not attack its own myelin sheaths in sensory neurons of the Central Nervous System. Of course, with the suppression of the entire immune system, the possibility of illness increases. Also, no current treatments are able to solve the problem of instructing the body's immune system to stop attacking the myelin sheaths.
Researchers at Northwestern University may have discovered a new method to treat MS that does not involve suppressing the entire immune system and is able to instruct the immune system to stop attacking the myelin sheaths. By attaching myelin antigens to nanoparticles and passing them through the spleen, where macrophages engulf the nanoparticles, the immune system can be "reset" to stop recognizing myelin as a threat. A variation of this study in which the antigens are attached to white blood cells is currently in clinical trials, but this method is more costly and labor intensive.
The nanoparticles are made of a polymer called Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG). PLG consists of lactic acid and glycolic acid, which are both natural metabolites in the body and commonly used for biodegradable sutures.
The study was conducted on mice, and the nanoparticles were successful. The nanoparticles are currently being studied for applications in Type 1 Diabetes, food allergies, and asthma.
Current treatments for relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis involve suppressing the body's entire immune system so that it does not attack its own myelin sheaths in sensory neurons of the Central Nervous System. Of course, with the suppression of the entire immune system, the possibility of illness increases. Also, no current treatments are able to solve the problem of instructing the body's immune system to stop attacking the myelin sheaths.
Researchers at Northwestern University may have discovered a new method to treat MS that does not involve suppressing the entire immune system and is able to instruct the immune system to stop attacking the myelin sheaths. By attaching myelin antigens to nanoparticles and passing them through the spleen, where macrophages engulf the nanoparticles, the immune system can be "reset" to stop recognizing myelin as a threat. A variation of this study in which the antigens are attached to white blood cells is currently in clinical trials, but this method is more costly and labor intensive.
The nanoparticles are made of a polymer called Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG). PLG consists of lactic acid and glycolic acid, which are both natural metabolites in the body and commonly used for biodegradable sutures.
The study was conducted on mice, and the nanoparticles were successful. The nanoparticles are currently being studied for applications in Type 1 Diabetes, food allergies, and asthma.
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