Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGEN) announced that administration of CGEN-15001 in an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been shown to completely abolish spontaneous relapses. In addition, administration of this novel molecule prior to disease onset demonstrated a pronounced delay of disease onset and a significant decrease in disease symptoms. These results, together with complementary results from earlier studies, strongly support a significant potential therapeutic utility for CGEN-15001 in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, and type 1 diabetes.

CGEN-15001 is a soluble recombinant fusion protein comprised of the extracellular region of a Compugen discovered B7/CD28 family member, designated CGEN-15001T. CGEN-15001T, which itself has potential medical utilities – such as serving as a target for antibody therapeutics – was discovered by Compugen through the use of its LEADS platform and a proprietary algorithm designed to predict novel members of known protein families. Patents have been filed for both CGEN-15001 and CGEN-15001T.

The recently completed study of CGEN-15001 utilized the relapsing-remitting autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model. This well-recognized animal model of multiple sclerosis manifests an autoimmune CNS demyelinating disease with clinical and pathologic similarity to human relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is the most common form of MS affecting approximately 85% of the 2.5 million people worldwide diagnosed with MS. Relapses in multiple sclerosis patients result in recurring attacks of clinical symptoms which lead to a worsening of existing symptoms or to the appearance of new symptoms. Thus, prevention of relapses is a major goal in the development of treatments for multiple sclerosis, and the demonstrated therapeutic effect of CGEN-15001 in the presence of this established disease, as demonstrated in this animal model, is highly relevant for its potential use in human therapy.

Professor Stephen Miller from Northwestern University, a leading scientist in this field who supervised the studies, stated, “The capacity of CGEN-15001 to prevent the development of disease in this well-recognized animal model for multiple sclerosis, and more significantly to ameliorate its progression when administered in the presence of pre-existing disease is quite dramatic. Furthermore, these beneficial effects were shown to be long lasting and persisted through the study, indicating that CGEN-15001 may prevent disease progression as efficiently as immune tolerance induction, a process whereby the immune system no longer attacks the self antigens that cause the disease. These findings, together with those demonstrated in our earlier studies, are unique among the molecules targeting the B7 family of co-stimulatory molecules that have been published to date.”

Compugen’s VP R&D, Dr. Zurit Levine stated, “In addition to being an extremely exciting discovery, this is a good example of how our extensive infrastructure of predictive capabilities can be utilized for ‘discovery on demand’ purposes. In this case, we were interested in finding a new member of the B7 protein family, a family of proteins that are widely believed to have substantial therapeutic potential. However, it was our belief that relying only on commonly used discovery approaches, such as sequence and functional homology, which underlie most such efforts by others, would be unlikely to yield all unknown members for this family.”

Dr. Levine continued, “We utilized, therefore, a different predictive discovery approach combining certain components of our LEADS infrastructure platform with a proprietary algorithm that had been developed to predict in silico novel members of a known protein family based on genomic information, protein structure and additional characteristics. This led to the prediction and selection of a number of novel proteins, including CGEN-15001T, and the discovery of CGEN-15001T led to the identification of the CGEN- 15001 protein.”

About the B7/CD28 protein family

Members of the B7/CD28 family have been intensively studied over the past decade and have brought much excitement to the field of immune regulation. The activation and development of an adaptive immune response is initiated by the engagement of a T-cell antigen receptor with an antigenic peptide-MHC complex. The outcome of this engagement is determined by both positive and negative co-stimulatory signals, generated mainly by the interaction between the B7 family and their receptor CD28 family. A growing body of evidence indicates that the dysfunction of immune regulation contributes to the development of autoimmune diseases.

Positive and negative co-stimulatory pathways play critical roles in immune regulation and are considered potential targets for modulating chronic inflammation in autoimmune diseases. To date, one soluble recombinant fusion protein, that selectively blocks the co-stimulatory signal mediated by the B7/CD28 pathway, has been cleared for marketing in the U.S. for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, and is in clinical trials for other autoimmune indications. In addition, a number of clinical and preclinical studies of this protein family are underway at various companies.

About LEADS

The LEADS platform provides a comprehensive predictive view of the human transcriptome, proteome and peptidome, and serves as a rich infrastructure for the discovery of novel genes, transcripts and proteins. It includes extensive gene information and annotation, such as splice variants, antisense genes, SNPs, novel genes and RNA editing. At the protein level, LEADS provides full protein annotation, including homologies, domain information, subcellular localization, peptide prediction and novelty status.

Source:
Compugen

Current Mood: smile

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1. Protein Lets Brain Repair Damage From Multiple Sclerosis, Other Disorders
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A protein that helps build the brain in infants and children may aid efforts to restore damage from multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

In a mouse model of MS, researchers found that the protein, CXCR4, is essential for repairing myelin, a protective sheath that covers nerve cell branches. MS and other disorders damage myelin, and this damage is linked to loss of the branches inside the myelin.

“In MS patients, myelin repair occurs inconsistently for reasons that aren’t clear,” says senior author Robyn Klein, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and of neurobiology. “Understanding the nature of that problem is a priority because when myelin isn’t repaired, the chances that an MS flare-up will inflict lasting harm seem to increase.”

The findings appear online in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mouse models typically mimic MS symptoms by causing chronic immune cell infiltration in the brain, but, according to Klein, the ongoing immune damage caused by the cells makes it difficult for researchers to focus on what the brain does to repair myelin.

For the study, Klein and first author and postdoctoral fellow Jigisha Patel, PhD, used a non-inflammatory model that involves giving mice food containing cuprizone, a compound that causes the death of cells that form myelin in the central nervous system. After six weeks, these cells, known as oligodendrocytes, are dead, and the corpus callosum, a structure that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, has lost its myelin. If cuprizone is then removed from the mouse diet, new cells migrate to the area that restore the myelin by becoming mature oligodendrocytes.

Klein’s investigations began with the processes triggered by dying oligodendrocytes while mice are still on the cuprizone diet. The dying cells activate other support cells in the brain, causing them to express inflammatory factors.

Klein showed that levels of a receptor for inflammatory factors, CXCR4, peaked at six weeks. If researchers continued feeding the mice cuprizone for 12 weeks, levels of the inflammatory factor and its receptor dropped significantly. At 12 weeks the mice were also unable to restore myelin, suggesting a potential connection between myelin repair and CXCR4.

“This was a surprise, because the main thing CXCR4 has been known for is its role in forming the brain, not healing the brain,” Klein says. “But we did know that injury increases the number of brain cells that make CXCR4, so it wasn’t an unreasonable place to look.”

Klein showed that the cells destined to become oligodendrocytes and repair myelin damage, known as neural precursor cells, have high levels of the CXCR4. The cells come up to the corpus callosum from an area below the ventricles, a noncellular area filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

When scientists blocked CXCR4 from becoming activated or reduced cells’ ability to make it, the mice were unable to restore myelin. Neural precursor cells stayed in the ventricle and grew in number but did not move to the corpus callosum to begin repairs.

“Apparently the neural precursor cells have to stop proliferating before they can migrate, and CXCR4 plays a role in this change,” Klein says. “CXCR4 also seems to be essential to the cells’ ability to develop into mature oligodendrocytes and form myelin.”

Klein plans to see if she can restore myelin repair in genetically engineered mouse models of MS with a genetically altered lentivirus that increases levels of an inflammatory factor that activates CXCR4. She also will work with Washington University colleagues to study the new model with advanced imaging techniques in an attempt to further clarify the relationship between loss of nerve cell branches and myelin damage in MS.

“We do not yet know if this myelin repair pathway is somehow damaged or impaired in MS patients,” Klein says. “But I like the idea of turning on something that the brain already knows how to make by itself, allowing it to heal itself with its own molecules.”

Source:
Michael C. Purdy
Washington University School of Medicine

Current Mood: think

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Biogen Idec and Abbott announced enrollment of the first patient in a global Phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of daclizumab compared to interferon beta-1a (AVONEX®) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of multiple sclerosis. The trial, called DECIDE, will investigate a subcutaneous formulation of daclizumab intended for monthly administration, which has the potential to provide a new immunomodulatory approach for treating MS. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Biogen Idec will make a $30 million milestone payment to Abbott. This payment is due upon enrollment of the first patient in the DECIDE trial.

“Despite significant advances in MS therapy, many patients continue to experience disease activity. The MS community is eager for new treatment approaches,” said Ludwig Kappos, M.D., Head, MS-Research Group, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, and lead investigator for the study. “As shown in previous studies, daclizumab appears to selectively target immune cells that are thought to become activated in MS and cause damage to the central nervous system.”

DECIDE is a global Phase III, randomized, double-blind, active-comparator study expected to enroll approximately 1,500 RRMS patients in 28 countries. The trial will investigate a subcutaneous formulation of daclizumab intended for once-monthly administration as a monotherapy compared to treatment with interferon beta 1-a, one of the most common treatments for MS. Daclizumab is also being investigated in the ongoing Phase IIb registration-enabling SELECT trial, which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of monthly subcutaneous doses of either 150 mg or 300 mg of daclizumab monotherapy.

“The DECIDE study builds on the positive results we saw in the CHOICE trial, which showed that daclizumab, when added to interferon beta, significantly reduced MS lesions compared to interferon beta therapy alone,” said Alfred Sandrock, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Neurology Research and Development at Biogen Idec. “Initiating this trial demonstrates our commitment to developing new treatment options for patients who suffer from this terrible disease.”

“Initiating the Phase III DECIDE trial is a tremendous milestone for the collaboration as it brings daclizumab one step closer to becoming a potential new treatment option for patients with MS,” said Eugene Sun, M.D., Vice President, Global Pharmaceutical Clinical Development, Abbott. “Extensive preclinical and clinical experience with daclizumab suggest this drug holds promise as a new approach for the treatment of MS, and we look forward to expanding our knowledge further with the DECIDE trial.”

Daclizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to CD25, a receptor subunit that is expressed at low levels on resting T-cells and at high levels on T-cells that are thought to become activated in response to MS. Daclizumab is believed to work by selectively targeting these activated T-cells without causing general T-cell depletion.

Data from the Phase II CHOICE trial demonstrated that daclizumab 2mg/kg administered subcutaneously every two weeks in combination with interferon beta (IFNβ) therapy led to a 72 percent reduction in the number of new or enlarged MS lesions when compared to IFNβ therapy alone in patients with active, relapsing forms of MS. Additional analysis from the study revealed that daclizumab led to an increase of a subset of natural killer cells (CD56bright NK cells) that help regulate the immune system. This increase was associated with a significant reduction in MS lesion formation. The incidence of common adverse events was similar in all treatment groups. Some serious adverse events occurred in daclizumab treated patients, which were most commonly infections that resolved with standard interventions.

About DECIDE

DECIDE (Daclizumab HYP Efficacy Compared to Interferon Beta 1-a Study for Multiple Sclerosis) is a two- to three-year, Phase III, muliticenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, monotherapy, active-control study designed to determine the efficacy and safety of daclizumab versus interferon beta 1-a, one of the most common MS treatments, in patients with RRMS. The trial is expected to enroll approximately 1,500 RRMS patients in 28 countries. The study will include patients between the ages of 18 to 55 years with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score ranging from 0.0 to 5.0.

The primary objective of the study is to determine the efficacy of daclizumab compared to interferon beta 1-a in preventing MS relapse, with annualized relapse rate as the primary endpoint. The study will also examine the efficacy of daclizumab compared to interferon beta 1-a in slowing functional decline and disability progression and in maintaining quality of life.

During the 96- to 144-week treatment period, all study participants will receive either a subcutaneous injection of daclizumab 150 mg once every four weeks or weekly injections of interferon beta 1-a.

About Daclizumab

Daclizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to the CD25 alpha subunit of the high affinity IL-2 receptor. CD25 is expressed at low levels on resting T-cells (immune cells) and at high levels on T-cells that can become activated in response to autoimmune conditions such as MS. Daclizumab is believed to work by selectively binding to and inhibiting this receptor on activated T-cells without causing T-cell depletion. Daclizumab is an investigational agent in clinical development for the treatment of MS under a collaboration between Facet Biotech, acquired by Abbott in April 2010, and Biogen Idec. Daclizumab is currently being studied in two registrational clinical trials in patients with MS.

Source: Abbott

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U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said on Thursday.

Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient’s bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it.

“We just start over with new cells from the stem cells,” said Dr. Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, whose study appears in the journal Lancet Neurology.

Multiple sclerosis occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath protecting nerve cells. It affects 2.5 million people globally and can cause mild illness in some people and permanent disability in others.

Symptoms may include numbness or weakness in the limbs, loss of vision and an unsteady gait.

“MS usually occurs in adults,” Burt said in a telephone interview. Before they get the disease, their immune systems work well, he said, but something happens to make the immune system attack itself.

His approach is aimed at turning back the clock to a time before the immune system began attacking itself.

Burt said the approach — called autologous non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation — is a bit gentler than the therapy used in cancer patients because rather than destroying the entire bone marrow, it attacks just the immune system component of the marrow, making it less toxic.

Burt and colleagues tried the treatment on 21 patients aged 20 to 53 with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, an earlier stage in the disease in which symptoms come and go.

Patients in the study were not helped by at least six months of standard treatment with interferon beta.

After an average follow-up of about three years, 17 patients improved by at least one measure on a disability scale, and the disease stabilized in all patients.

Patients continued to improve for up to 24 months after the transplant procedure, and then stabilized. Many had improvements in walking, vision, incontinence and limb strength.

“To date, all therapies for MS have been designed and approved because they slowed the rate of neurological decline. None of them has ever reversed neurological dysfunction, which is what this has done,” Burt said.

Other teams have seen improvements in patients using a more aggressive approach. In one study led by Dr. Mark Freedman of the University of Ottawa last year, 17 MS patients treated with the more aggressive approach were showing signs of remission two years after treatment.

Burt stressed that the treatment approach needed to be tested in a more scientifically rigorous randomized clinical trial, in which half of the patients get the transplant treatment and the other half get standard treatment.

That trial is under way.

Chicago(Reuters)

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A groundbreaking trial to test bone marrow stem cell therapy with a small group of patients with multiple sclerosis has been shown to have possible benefits for the treatment of the disease.

Bone marrow stem cells have been shown in several experimental studies to have beneficial effects in disease models of MS. The research team, led by Neil Scolding, Burden Professor of Clinical Neurosciences for the University of Bristol and North Bristol NHS Trust, have now completed a small trial in patients with MS to begin translating these findings from the laboratory to the clinic.

The Bristol team report on this pioneering trial in an article published online in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. The paper, Safety and feasibility of autologous bone marrow cellular therapy in relapsing-progressive multiple sclerosis was performed at the Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol and the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre.

The study explored the safety and feasibility of cell therapy in patients with MS. Participants had a general anaesthetic during which bone marrow was harvested. The marrow cells were filtered and prepared so that they could be injected into the patient’s vein later the same day.

The procedure was well tolerated and the participants were followed up for a year. No serious adverse effects were encountered. The results of clinical scores were consistent with stable disease. The results of neurophysiological tests raised the possibility of benefit.

Professor Neil Scolding said: “We are encouraged by the results of this early study. The safety data are reassuring and the suggestion of benefit tantalising. A larger study is required to assess the effectiveness of bone marrow cellular therapy in treating MS. We are hopeful that recruitment to this phase 2/3 study may begin towards the end of this year.

“Research into the underlying mechanisms is ongoing and vital, in order to build on these results. We believe that stem cells mobilised from the marrow to the blood are responsible, and that they help improve disease in several ways, including neuroprotection and immune modulation.”

The aim of the trial was to find out what effects, good or bad, bone marrow stem cells has on patients with MS, and their disability.

Bone marrow is known to contain stem cells capable of replacing cells in many types of tissues and organs – and so is of great interest to those working to develop new treatments for many diseases, including those affecting the nervous system.

The study has been funded by the Adrian Wright Bequest, The Patrick Berthoud Charitable Trust, the Silverman Family Foundation, The Myelin Project, the Captain SK Trust and The Burden Trust.

Source: University of Bristol

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Nature Reviews Neurology published an international consensus on the future of stem cell transplantation research for people with MS, paving the way for more coordinated global research efforts and potentially better, and quicker, patient access to stem cell clinical trials.

The guidelines, which have been written and approved by some of the most well respected international MS researchers, as well as MS Societies from around the world, spell out hope for the future of MS stem cell research and debunk myths about overseas stem cell clinics claiming to cure the condition.

Professor Gianvito Martino from the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy, and Professor Robin Franklin from the University of Cambridge, UK, are lead authors for the guidelines, which:

- outline the promise stem cell transplantation has shown in early stage clinical trials and ways they could be used to treat MS in the future

- describe the different types of stem cells that might be used to treat different types of MS

- detail methods of delivering these stem cell therapies into patients

- highlight best practice in conducting clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapies in MS

A stem cell public information booklet “Stem Cell Therapies in MS” produced in partnership by MS Societies from the UK, USA, Italy, France and Australia and the MS International Federation summarises the guidelines for people affected by MS.

Researchers have agreed that stem cells are likely to have a significant role to play in the treatment of MS, but also warn that expectations should be realistic.

Professor Gianvito Martino said: “At this stage it is unreasonable to claim that stem cells are a magic cure for MS. It is, however, likely that they will one day play an important role in treating the condition.”

Professor Robin Franklin added: “It is only by working together will we get the answer as to whether stem cell transplants hold promise in the treatment of MS. The guidelines will help the research community get to that answer more quickly than we would by working in isolation.”

The guidelines are the result of an international stem cell consensus meeting held in London in May 2009 organised by the MS Society in the UK and USA, and supported by MS Society of Italy, France, Australia and the MS International Federation.

Dr Jayne Spink, Director of Policy and Research at the MS Society in the UK, said: “The MS Societies around the world are in a unique position to facilitate co-ordination and collaboration regarding international stem cell research. This should help the research to progress more quickly.”

She added: “We have coordinated the production of these guidelines along with the public information booklet to provide accurate information that should help counteract the confusion caused by unscrupulous stem cell clinics falsely marketing MS cures.”

Source
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain

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NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB) disclosed four more cases of a rare brain infection in multiple sclerosis patients on Tysabri, which it sells with Elan Corp. (ELN), bringing the total number of cases to 35.

Tysabri is considered a highly effective therapy for MS, (so, just imagine if it wasn’t.. duh) and its growth is important to the future of both Elan and Biogen. But its sales have been slower than originally hoped amid concerns about the risk of PML that led to its 18- month market withdrawal beginning in 2005.

“The overall rate is about the same,” said Biogen spokeswoman Naomi Aoki. “It remains consistent with what is outlined in our label.” – this is the label that says “can cause death”, right? I see.

The last update came from the FDA, which cited 31 cases as of Jan. 21, in a recent safety update noting that MS patients using the drug had increased risk of getting PML as the number of infusions of the medicine increase.

Despite the risk, the agency said the benefits of the medicine continue to outweigh the risks. Which is absolutely true, If the patients are suicidal.

The most recent update translates to about 1.56 cases per 1,000 patients on the drug for between two and three years.

By contrast, the incidence is about 0.54 case per 1,000 patients in those using it for one to two years, and it is almost non-existent in patients using it for less than a year.

The number of cases is important because if the infection rate climbs too high, sales of the drug may drop.

Tysabri’s withdrawal from the market occurred after three patients developed PML. The infection re-emerged in mid-2008, and Biogen provided regular updates about the cases until mid-2009. The company is now providing monthly updates.

But i now know how Tysabri “helps” MS – people DON’T die from the MS, they die from the “cure”.

Eat your heart out, Darwin. Evolution? HAH.

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The first U.S. clinical trials in more than two decades on the medical benefits of marijuana confirm pot is effective in reducing muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and pain caused by certain neurological injuries or illnesses, according to a report issued Wednesday.

Igor Grant, a psychiatrist who directs the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego, said five studies funded by the state involved volunteers who were randomly given real marijuana or placebos to determine if the herb provided relief not seen from traditional medicines.

“There is good evidence now that cannabinoids may be either an adjunct or a first-line treatment,” Grant said at a news conference where he presented the findings.

The California Legislature established the research center in 2000 to examine whether the therapeutic claims of medical marijuana advocates could withstand scientific scrutiny. In 1996, state voters became the first in the nation to pass a law approving pot use for medical purposes.

Thirteen other states have followed suit, but California is the only one so far to sponsor medical marijuana research. After 10 years and nearly $9 million, the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research is preparing to wrap up its work next year.

Along with the studies on muscle spasms and pain associated with spinal cord injuries and AIDS, the center also has funded research on how marijuana effects sleep and driving, limb pain due to diabetes, and whether inhaling vaporized cannabis is as effective as smoking it.

A laboratory study supported by the center examined if pot could be helpful in treating migraine headaches and facial pain. In that study, rats given a cannabis-like drug exhibited reduced activity of nerve cells that transmit pain.

State Sen. Mark Leno, a San Francisco Democrat who chairs a budget subcommittee on health and human services and supports medical marijuana, said he doubted there would be more financial support for the center, given California’s ongoing budget crisis.

The federal government classifies marijuana as an illicit drug with no medical use but produces the only pot legally available for scientific research under a contract with the University of Mississippi.

Grant said obtaining some of the Mississippi crop and meeting the complex security regulations required by the Drug Enforcement Agency and other federal agencies was time-consuming and cumbersome.

Grant, however, had no problem with the quality of the government’s supply. Its consistency was helpful in determining that patients who smoked less-potent marijuana enjoyed the same amount of pain relief but less mental confusion than those who inhaled a more powerful strain, he said.

Such quality control is notably absent from the marijuana that patients with a doctor’s recommendation can legally obtain in California through hundreds of cooperatives and storefront dispensaries, Grant said.

He said more research was needed on how pot works and its side effects.

“Because we don’t know the composition of the strains that are on the street, we don’t know what patients really are getting,” he said. “As a doctor I feel some discomfort when someone says take X or Y pill or herb because we think that might be helpful.”

Since its founding, the center has approved 15 research studies, but five had to be discontinued because there were not enough volunteers willing or able to meet the criteria for participating.

One proposed study on the effectiveness of marijuana in reducing chemotherapy-related nausea was canceled because researchers could not recruit enough cancer patients who weren’t already treating their symptoms effectively with anti-nausea medications.

In the 24-page report submitted Wednesday to the Legislature, Grant said research protocols had been rigorous, with six studies published or accepted for publication in peer-reviewed science journals.

In four studies, participants suffering from multiple sclerosis, AIDS or diabetes, along with healthy volunteers injected with a chili pepper substance to induce pain, were randomly assigned to receive cigarettes filled with marijuana. Half had the active ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, removed.

Not every patient who smoked the real marijuana reported improvement. But the percentage who did was comparable to those who said they experienced relief from antidepressants and other medications commonly prescribed for neuropathic pain, thestudy said.

So.. where’s my pot?

(AP)

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SEOUL, Korea, /PRNewswire/ — RNL Bio Co., Ltd, a leading biopharmaceutical company specialized in adult stem cell therapeutics announced today that a 46-year-old female, Kang Sook Park’s Multiple Sclerosis improved tremendously after receiving stem cell treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease in which the nerves of the central nervous system degenerate. MS can cause problems with muscle control and strength, vision, balance, feeling, and thinking. MS is caused by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerve impulses slow down or stop responding. From the many symptoms of MS, numbness or abnormal sensation in any area is predominant.

For the past 20 years, Park suffered from MS. For stem cell injection, she was admitted into Choyang Hospital of Regenerative Medicine in Yanji, China for three weeks. She received stem cells intravenously as well as intrathecally. The injections were given in five intervals — a total of 1.2 billion cells.

Prior to stem cell treatment, Park suffered from Optic Neuritis — a common symptom of MS. Some of the symptoms of Optic Neuritis include double vision, vision loss, and uncontrollable rapid eye movements. She was not able to recognize any writing due to her vision loss. After six months of receiving stem cell therapy, Park experienced phenomenal changes. Her vision improved drastically — she was able to read. Furthermore, it also became possible for her to move her legs using her own muscular strength.

“My legs felt like hollow logs. They were so numb and stiff. However, after receiving stem cell treatment, I can actually feel my legs. I can also tell the difference in cold and warm temperatures. Stem cell therapy brought incredible changes to my physical condition,” stated Kang Sook Park.

Park also added, “Receiving stem cell turned my life around. I feel like I am reborn. The fact that I am in this condition brings me new joy. I love the fact that I no longer need anyone’s help to get from place to place. I would like to share my experience to others who may have this rare disease. I want to let others know that they can find hope through stem cell treatment, just the way I did.”

Dr. Chang Won Kim reported Park’s EMG findings before and after the stem cell treatment. “Patients who have an uncommon disease such as MS rarely show improvement or are completely cured. EMG results showed that Park’s movement increased both in upper and lower limbs. Reduction in latency suggests that demyelination was also improved. It is extremely difficult for MS patients to use their own strength to even make small movements in the arms or legs. These changes in Park were possible through stem cell therapy.”

President and CEO of RNL Bio, Dr. Jeong Chan Ra expressed, “The effective outcomes from stem cell treatment for rare diseases like Multiple Sclerosis can be used in the future. I will do my best to help improve the quality of life for people who are suffering from diseases like MS.”

SOURCE RNL Bio Co., Ltd

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People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) feel more than twice as much withheld anger as the general population and this could have an adverse effect on their relationships and health, according to a study published in the December issue of the European Journal of Neurology.

Italian researchers assessed 195 patients with MS, using a range of scales that measure anger, depression and anxiety, and then compared them with the general population.

They were surprised by the results, which showed that while patients experienced almost twice the normal level of withheld anger and exerted low levels of control on their anger, their expressed anger levels were similar to the general population.

This, together with the fact that the elevated withheld anger levels were not related to the severity of the patients’ MS, suggests that these inconsistent changes were caused by nervous system damage, rather than an emotional reaction to the stress of the disease.

“We believe that the higher levels of withheld anger shown by the study subjects is due to demyelination, loss of the substance in the white matter that insulates the nerve endings and helps people receive and interpret messages from the brain” explains lead researcher Dr Ugo Nocentini from the IRCCS S Lucia Foundation in Rome.

“The way we process anger is controlled by complex interconnections between the subcortical and cortical systems, notably the amygdale and basal ganglia and the medial prefrontal cortex. We believe that the demyelination process that causes the root symptoms of MS also disrupts the pathways that control how we deal with withheld anger.”

The patients who took part in the study comprised 150 with relapsing-remitting MS and 45 with progressive MS. More than two-thirds (68 per cent) were women, the average age of the participants was 40 and the average time since diagnosis was 11 years.

Researchers evaluated the participants using the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory.

The researchers then looked at age and sex-matched subjects in the general population and identified the levels of anger experienced by the 25 per cent of people with the highest scores.

They found that MS patients:

* Were more than twice as likely to experience high levels of withheld anger, with 60 per cent of patients recording the same high levels as the top 25 per cent of the general population.

* Exerted a low level of control on their anger, with just 11 per cent of patients reporting the same high levels of control compared to the top 25 per cent of the general population.

* Were about the same as non MS patients when it came to expressed anger, with 30 per cent of patients reporting the same high levels as the top 25 per cent of the general population.

During the study the authors also compared the anger scores against selected demographic and clinical characteristics and found they were independent of age, education, disease duration and course, disability and fatigue severity. The only notable difference was that women reported higher levels of current anxiety.

“Our findings clearly show that anger characteristics in MS patients differ from those observed in the general population and the overall results surprised the research team” concludes Dr Nocentini.

“For example, patients reported low levels of anger control and high levels of withheld anger, yet the scores for expressed anger were similar to those of the general population.

“We would have expected greater consistency between withheld and expressed anger and higher levels of expressed anger as a consequence of low anger control.”

The authors conclude that damage to the fibres in the areas of the brain where anger issues are processed is the most logical explanation. They also say the findings have important implications for clinical practice.

“Anger disrupts interpersonal relationships and this is particularly true for withheld anger, which might go unrecognised by other people” says Dr Nocentini. “Witheld anger has been reported to be associated with physical problems, in particular high blood pressure and vascular disorders, and may have a negative effect on the general health of MS patients.

“Because withheld anger has no, or few, overt manifestations, and is unlikely to be recognised by clinicians or reported by patients, it is important that MS patients are asked if they experience abnormal anger.”

I do.

Current Mood: Weird

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