News from the Accelerated Cure Project:

1. Potential New Target For Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Published Story by art http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org/node/3192

Another very early stage (mouse only) discovery [271] points to a potential target for another MS drug. Researchers demonstrated both genetic and pharmaceutical evidence for the role of a protein called collagenase-2 in the development of MS. Collagenase-2 is a member of a protein family called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs, collagenase-2 is MMP8), a large group of enzymes that break down collagen and other components of the body's connective tissue. MMPs have been implicated in contributing to MS by degrading the tissue that maintains the blood-brain barrier.

2. One man's tale of stopping his MS medication

Published Story by art http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org/node/3194

Stuart Schlossman writes up his tale of what happened [272] when he took a drug holiday. Your milage may vary.

3. Damaged Brain Can Be Repaired And Cerebral Functions Restored, Neuronal Study Suggests Published Story by Anonymous http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org/node/3186

Scientists in the Laboratoire de Neurobiologie des Processus Adaptatifs (CNRS/Université Pierre et Marie Curie) have shown [406] that it is possible to repair an injured brain by creating a small number of new, specifically-targeted innervations, rather than a larger number of non-specific connections. Behavioral tests have demonstrated that such reinnervation can thus restore damaged cerebral functions.

4. Ethics of Placebo Controlled Trials in MS

Published Story by art http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org/node/3191

Placebo controlled trials are used to test new drugs by comparing the results of those taking the active drug with those taking the inactive placebo. This allows us to know that the beneficial effects, if any, seen in the trial were due to the drug and not to some other aspect of the care surrounding the administration of the drug. In a disease like MS, where there are several partially effective drugs, it becomes a concern to put someone on a placebo when they could be taking an approved medication. A group of clinicians, ethicists, statisticians, regulators, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry convened to discuss this topic and published their thoughts.They concluded that for patients with relapsing MS for which established effective therapies exist, placebo-controlled trials should only be offered with rigorous informed consent if the subjects refuse to use these treatments, have not responded to them, or if these treatments are not available to them for other reasons (e.g., economics).

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