Unmet Need
2.8 million people are estimated to be living with multiple sclerosis (MS) worldwide (35.9 per 100,000 population) (Walton et al.). The gold standard of care consists of symptom relieving remedies as well as disease modifying therapies. However, there are no curative therapies for MS, and most existing disease modifying therapies are only partially effective in preventing relapses and have little impact on the accrual of disability. Furthermore, to date, MS therapeutic development efforts have primarily focused on modifying the peripheral immune response or promoting remyelination and neuroprotection in the central nervous system. One potential solution could target the underlying physiology that is altered in people with MS and have both anti-inflammatory and reparative effects, unlike other treatments that are broadly immunosuppressive and do not target pathophysiology specific to the disease. There is therefore a need for a safer, more well-tolerated drug with both anti-inflammatory and reparative effects to be developed to address this deficit in treatment of MS.
Technology Overview
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a link between levels of a certain metabolite and multiple sclerosis (MS). They have discovered that levels of this metabolite can be indicative of severity of MS as well as risk of developing MS. They determined that supplementation with this metabolite reduces disease severity in an animal model of MS. In addition, they found using both human and murine oligodendrocyte precursor cells that the metabolite promoted differentiation of these cells to myelin producing oligodendrocytes. This would be beneficial in the setting of MS since this could promote repair of existing damage. The researchers envision creating an oral medication to routinely deliver the metabolite to MS patients.
Stage of Development
The inventors are currently in the pre-clinical stage of development.
Publication
