Vaccine for Multiple Sclerosis -
MS in the News
A possible vaccine for multiple sclerosis that can halt MS in it's tracks is in the works. The company – Apitope Technology Ltd., which has been developing it for the last ten years is a biopharmaceutical company in the UK.
According to Professor David Wraith (founder of Apitope), the concept of the vaccine is based on desensitization. He, along with Geoff Watts, had discovered a way of developing vaccines that treat autoimmune diseases and allergies.
The patient would be given injections of the allergen that causes the reaction. This sounds very similar to the way homeopathic medicines work, where very small amounts of the things that you are allergic to are taken over a period of time. This in turn desensitizes you to the allergen and eventually you no longer have the problem with that particular food or substance.
T-Cells and peptides
Professor Wraith explains that T-lymphocytes or T-Cells respond to peptides which are small fragments in whatever is causing the allergy or autoimmune disease. The group was able to single out peptides that suppress the immune reaction.
So instead of causing the damage, these peptides stop the damage from happening. The ideal result? No MS! So why don't we have this vaccine? Let's go. What's the hold up? We're standing in line, waiting..., now. No?
Unfortunately, Apitope's biggest hurdle has been finding funding for their promising vaccine for multiple sclerosis. A tox-study and a small clinical trial have been done. The clinical trial on 6 advanced stage patients with MS proved successful. One of them had great improvement in their eyesight.
Vaccine for Multiple Sclerosis - Funding hope
Even with this success, Apitope couldn't find funding to do larger clinical trials in the UK. A group of investors in Belgium and Luxembourg were interested and took on the task.
What does this mean for patients with MS? Clinical trials are now able to begin. A vaccine for MS may well be in the near future. Hopefully it will reverse some of the damage caused by MS.
Update - 2017
"...the company has now announced positive results of its phase II study for the treatment of MS. The study evaluated the effects of its compound in 19 patients with relapsing Multiple Sclerosis, following intradermal injection. The results revealed a significant reduction of active MS lesions. They also revealed a strong trend towards improvement in the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) score that is used as an indicator of improvement in disability.
This is good news! You can read the full article here:
A new Peptide Vaccine for MS succeeds in Phase IIA
They are also preparing for a Phase IIb study. Even more good news. This study will provide more information after a longer period of treatment. It may also be a safer alternative than stem cell transplantation. So much to look forward to, I feel. :)
Another Update - 2024
Since the 2017 update, the quest for a vaccine has continued in earnest. Below you will find a video produced by SciShow on Youtube answering the question "But can we ever cure MS? Yes. But also, no. But also, probably? It's complicated."
The video breaks it down thoroughly, I think, explaining how we now know what causes MS - the Epstein-Barr Virus - is a very complex virus that most of us have had in our bodies since we were little. We talked a little about it in the What Causes MS post several years ago.
"Many people become infected with EBV in childhood. EBV infections in children usually do not cause symptoms, or the symptoms are not distinguishable from other mild, brief childhood illnesses. People who get symptoms from EBV infection, usually teenagers or adults, get better in two to four weeks. However, some people may feel fatigued for several weeks or even months.
After you get an EBV infection, the virus becomes latent (inactive) in your body. In some cases, the virus may reactivate. This does not always cause symptoms, but people with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop symptoms if EBV reactivates."
There are so many factors that cause EBV to eventually lead to multiple sclerosis. I suppose we could say that a "perfect storm" has to happen within us, if that makes sense. This storm has to have all of the correct variables in order for MS to develop.
In some people EBV can cause cancer or other autoimmune diseases, so coming up with a vaccine to cure one specific thing like MS has been challenging to scientist, to say the least.
Listen to the video below to see how we - yes, no, or probably - will cure multiple sclerosis in the future. I'm still optimistic, however, I suppose, to put it simply, it's just a matter of time until that happens.
Go from Vaccine for MS to the Alternative Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis.
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