Researchers say previously unidentified feature of myelin could pave the way to new treatment options
Researchers in Edinburgh have discovered that myelin, the protective coating surrounding nerves, which is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), could potentially repair itself instead of being lost, thanks to a newly discovered biological response.
This might offer a significant new opportunity to help slow, stop or even prevent degeneration in MS and other conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
In MS, the immune system attacks myelin in the brain and spinal cord and disrupts messages being sent around the body. This impacts how people move, think and feel. While myelin loss is a hallmark of a range of conditions, there are still no treatments that can replace damaged or lost myelin.
Until now, research has been focused on regenerating new myelin after it has already been lost. But a team from the MS Society Edinburgh Centre for Myelin Research at the University of Edinburgh, led by Professor David Lyons and supported by international collaborators, has shown that when myelin is first damaged it undergoes a dynamic swelling phase.
This can, in principle, be followed by repair, rather than myelin loss. This potentially offers a window of opportunity to intervene before the myelin completely breaks down.
Historically, although this myelin swelling had been observed, it had not been investigated in detail, as researchers thought that it might be an artefact of the way brain tissue is preserved in the lab. But this new study took advantage of advanced technology to observe live zebrafish and tissue from mice and humans who lived with MS to follow what happened to damaged myelin over time.
The team showed that this swelling is in fact a natural process in the body that can be followed by repair of the damaged myelin, and thus one that could be a critical step in the body’s fight to prevent complete myelin loss.
This suggests that the nervous system has a powerful – and until now unrecognised – ability to withstand early myelin damage.
Professor David Lyons, Co-lead of the MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research, at the University of Edinburgh, says: “These findings suggest that intervening during this early swelling phase could protect myelin before it is lost, offering us the opportunity to explore potential new treatment routes that could complement current treatments.
“For decades, scientists have focused on remyelination, the process of rebuilding myelin once it is already lost. This continues to hold promise. But now that we have this new avenue of exploration, it could be the start of something else very special.”
Over 150,000 people in the UK live with MS, with 135 diagnosed each week. More than 17,000 people with MS live in Scotland. The MS Society is the largest charitable funder of MS research in the UK. Its research has helped drive forward treatment options and dramatically improved public understanding of the condition.
The University of Edinburgh is home to one of Europe’s largest groupings of neuroscience researchers investigating the nervous system in health and disease. This includes one of two MS Society-funded Centres of Excellence in MS research.
Work at the Edinburgh Centre for MS Research, co-led by Professor Lyons and Professor Anna Williams, spans investigation of fundamental biological processes relevant to MS, drug discovery to identify treatments for MS, through clinical research and supporting clinical trials in people with disease.
Dr Emma Gray, Director of Research at the MS Society, says: “We know that the body has the ability to regenerate new myelin after it’s lost. But this study shows that existing myelin can sometimes self-heal before it’s fully lost, a process we hadn’t identified before.
“It doesn’t replace current strategies, but it adds another potential way to protect myelin early on. MS can be debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable and for tens of thousands of people there are still no treatments that work for them.
“There’s still a lot to learn, but discoveries like this are essential to help people with MS in the future.”
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