Source: MS Society

We have all welcomed the news of a Covid vaccine (well, most people anyway!). This last week you may have seen some headlines about how the science could use some of the science behind some of the vaccines to treat people with MS. But what is the truth behind the headlines?

The information below is taken from the MS Society website and the links will allow you to read all the MS Society and the MS Trust information on it. 

Note from BMSTC: Whilst all potential treatments bring hope, it is essential to stress the word potential. Sadly there are no guarantees and if successful, how long it would take. Read the full article here:https://www.mssociety.org.uk/research/latest-research/research-blog/behi… Read the MS Trust article here: https://mstrust.org.uk/news/researchers-develop-mrna-vaccine-treat-ms-co… ‘New research suggests MS could be treated using mRNA, which has also been used to create two of the COVID-19 vaccines. We take a look behind the headlines to see what this could mean for people living with MS. We don’t yet know exactly what causes MS, so we don’t know how to prevent it. There’s currently no vaccine that can stop someone from developing MS, although there are steps you can take to lower your risk of developing the condition (like not smoking).  However, the science behind two of the COVID-19 vaccines may have potential as a way of treating MS.   

What was being tested? 

Most of us would usually think of a vaccine as something that stops you from getting ill. Normally, vaccines teach our immune systems to fight an invading molecule like a virus. But the new mRNA treatment tested in this study, which was published in the journal Science, is different.  

Unlike normal vaccines, this vaccine is not intended to prevent people from developing MS in the first place. Instead, it’s being tested as a potential treatment for people who already have MS.  

In MS, the immune system attacks the protective myelin coating around our nerves. In this study, researchers wanted to know whether a type of mRNA containing the code for part of myelin can be used to teach the immune system to not attack myelin. 

What does this mean for people with MS? 

In the last 25 years we’ve made huge progress in developing treatments to reduce the immune attacks associated with MS. However, the treatments that are currently available for MS target the immune system as a whole and not just the cells that damage myelin. This means there are side effects.  This is still very early-stage research and has only been tested in mice so far. Although this study has shown promising results, we don’t yet know whether this treatment would work in people with MS. We’d also still need to find ways to repair myelin that has already been damaged, and protect nerves from further degeneration. 

Dr Emma Gray, our Assistant Director of Research, said: “There are over 130,000 people living with MS in the UK, and many don’t have access to effective treatments. This research highlights an interesting new approach and it’s great to see interest in applying this new mRNA technology to treating MS. “However, it is still in the very early stages and has only been tested in animals. We’d be excited to see more research to understand if and how this could benefit people with MS.”’

Researchers at the University of the West of Scotland invite you to be a part of an online focus group.

The focus group is open to anyone with MS who is a UK resident and over 18 years of age.  The session will last approximately 1 hour, discussing your experiences of living with MS.  Your input will ensure they tailor their future MS research to directly benefit their participants.

Estimated date: 15th – 26th February 2021.

To register your interest, or for more information, please contact the project researcher, Luke Cerexhe via email Luke.Cerexhe@uws.ac.uk

Project Supervisor: Prof Nicholas Sculthorpe,

Email: Nicholas.Sculthorpe@uws.ac.uk

Source Pharmaweb.com: Novartis receives positive CHMP opinion for Kesimpta® (ofatumumab), a self-administered treatment for adult patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis with active disease.

•   CHMP opinion based on two Phase III ASCLEPIOS studies that met clinical and MRI endpoints, demonstrating a significant reduction in the number of relapses vs. teriflunomide, evaluated as the annualized relapse rate[i]

•   Relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) is the most common form of MS, with around 85% of people in the UK considered to have relapsing-remitting MS at the point of diagnosis[ii]

•   If approved, ofatumumab will be the first and only self-administered, targeted B-cell therapy to slow disease activity in patients living with RMS1

•   Self-administration at home gives RMS patients more flexibility and reduces the burden on patients, HCPs, and the NHS as it faces capacity challenges in light of COVID-19[iii
 

Novartis today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion and recommended granting marketing authorization of Kesimpta® (ofatumumab) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) with active disease, defined by clinical or imaging features. If approved, ofatumumab has the potential to become a first-choice treatment option for patients with RMS that can be self-administered once monthly at home via the Sensoready® autoinjector pen.

Read the full article here.

Interesting article from the MS Trust website – It is well-known that exercise is good for physical and mental health, but less well-known that exercising also protects and repairs the structures of the brain.  This review summarises animal and human studies which demonstrate how physical activity has a direct beneficial effect on brain structures and biological processes.

Animal studies have revealed that physical activity increases the production of new neurons, improves the wiring which connects different parts of the brain, reduces demyelination and promotes remyelination. Recent research in mice has also provided evidence that exercise may create an environment in the brain which is more favourable for the actions of the remyelinating drug clemastine. The authors propose the term “MedXercise” to describe the synergistic effect seen when physical activity is paired with medication.

Studies in people with MS have shown that exercise leads to improvements in the wiring within the brain, reduced brain volume loss, reduced lesion numbers, and reduced activity in brain areas which had been compensating for loss of function.

The reviewers conclude that data from animal models and from people with MS support the view that exercise improves brain and spinal cord structures and functions but acknowledge there is still much to learn.

Read the study in more detail here