In response to reports that a phenomenon called CCSVI (chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, a dysfunction of brain blood flow and/or blood drainage) may contribute to nervous system damage in MS, the Society invited investigators to apply for grant funding and created an accelerated review process to explore this lead. If confirmed, this may open up new research avenues into the underlying pathology of MS and new approaches to therapy.The Society gathered together 70 members of the four international Promise: 2010 Nervous System Repair Teams (nationalmssociety/research/research-we-fund/targeted-research/nervous-system-repair/index.aspx)to share progress and plan next steps to speed clinical trials of therapies to protect and reverse neurological damage. Each team reported impressive progress, with two of the teams about to launch new, small-scale clinical trials of different types of stem cells, with separate funding.>Members of the Society's Nervous System Repair Team led by Professor Charles ffrench-Constant (University of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge, UK) published a paper demonstrating that a complex network of proteins that interact during brain development (called the "Wnt signaling pathway") may also play an important role in the failure of nerve-protecting myelin to repair itself in people with MS. This could provide new clues to reversing myelin damage. After showing benefits for temporarily improving walking speed in all types of MS in two phase 3 clinical trials, an advisory committee for the FDA recommended marketing approval for Acorda Therapeutics' fampridine (with the proposed new name, Amaya). If approved, this oral drug would be the first approved specifically for managing MS symptoms. The National MS Society funded early stage studies in the development of this drug. Two groups funded by the Society reported findings on nerve tissue injury and repair that add important information needed to stop MS progression and develop nervous system repair strategies. Mayo researchers found two enzymes that may serve as markers of progressive MS and nerve fiber injury, and investigators at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York) reported that a different enzyme is essential for replenishing myelin-making cells that have been depleted by MS. An oral drug designed to treat uncontrollable laughing and/or crying (also called pseudobulbar affect), a troubling symptom experienced by some people with MS and other neurological disorders, passed another hurdle by showing positive results in a Phase III trial. According to company sources, Zenvia(TM) (Avanir Pharmaceuticals) significantly reduced the rate of laughing and crying episodes and appeared to be safe and well tolerated.

ENDING MS FOREVER

The Society launched a genetics study that should identify most of the common genes that contribute to making people susceptible to developing MS. In the short run this should set us up to discover new disease pathways that can be targeted for therapy. In the longer run, this should provide a map for preventing MS. Researchers at the University of Buffalo, New York and Italy reported two studies that add to growing findings linking the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with multiple sclerosis. One study suggested a link between EBV exposure and the loss of nerve tissue, while the other explored interactions between a person's genes and EBV. Two studies published in the journal Nature Genetics identified new genes and gene regions that contribute to making people susceptible to developing MS. The findings, by the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium and the Australia/New Zealand MS Genetics Consortium, add to a growing list of gene variations linked to MS susceptibility. The National MS Society funded the formation of the International MS Genetics Consortium and studies by the Consortium. For the first time, researchers in the UK and Canada found evidence of a direct interaction between vitamin D and a common genetic variant, the presence of which increases the risk of developing MS. The research highlights the importance of studying the interaction of genes and the environment to search for the underlying triggers of this complex disease. The Society also held the first-ever Don Tykeson Fellows Conference to stimulate new research ideas and strengthen the commitment of these bright young people to MS research. Supporting fellows, who are the future of MS research, is a key component of our strategic plan.

For details on the studies mentioned visit: nationalmssociety/research/index.aspx

These and other leaps forward - accomplished in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression - made 2009 a momentous year of progress toward a world free of MS.

SOURCE National Multiple Sclerosis Society