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study uncovers potential new way to reverse nerve damage in multiple sclerosis, other neurological diseases
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new study finds a way to reverse damage in ms, opening the door to new viable therapies.
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a recent study conducted by neuroscience researchers out of ohio state university has found a new way to use the body’s own cells to fight disease, specifically neurological disease.
the study “cytokine polarize, alternatively activated bone marrow neutrophils drive axon regeneration,” published in nature immunology, examined the effects that a specific white blood cell, known as a neutrophil, had on the regrowth of nerve fibres.
the onset and progression of various diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (ms), are driven by dying nerve cells and damaged nerve fibres. when the continued injury to these areas of the brain progresses, it can lead to irreversible neurological disabilities.
“dying nerve cells are typically not replaced, and damaged nerve fibres do not normally regrow, leading to permanent neurological disabilities,” said corresponding and senior author benjamin segal, md, professor and chair of the department of neurology at the ohio state university wexner medical center and college of medicine in a press release.
however, if something were to encourage the regrowth of nerve fibres, it’s thought that the discovery could slow down the progression of ms and other diseases like it. the researchers believe they’ve found that “something.”
neurological damage and ms
ms is an autoimmune disease driven by an immune system attack on healthy areas of the brain, specifically the myelin sheath. the myelin sheath is a protective coating surrounding nerve fibres designed to keep them safe from damage and, in turn, encourage a healthy brain.
when ms develops, and these nerve fibres are damaged by immune cells, the communication between the brain and the rest of the body is compromised, leading to debilitating symptoms, including:
- ambulation issues
- bowel/bladder problems
- visual disturbances
- cognitive issues
- tremors
- difficulty moving the arms
- fatigue
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since the damage caused by the immune system is irreversible, ms progresses and worsens over time.
opening the door for future treatments
the researchers believe that taking bone marrow cells from patients that have neurological diseases such as ms, stimulating them to grow in large numbers in the lab, and reinfusing them back into the person can effectively regrow brain and spinal nerve fibres in other conditions, too, including als and alzheimer’s disease.
this opens the doors for further testing and cell therapy treatments for diseases that, as of writing, have very few effective treatments. some ms treatments can slow the progression of the disease, but until now, there is nothing available that can repair the damage that has already been done.
these new cells and the researchers working to use them to create viable therapies mark a significant breakthrough in treating neurological diseases.
while the discovery is still in its infancy, the medical researchers who conducted the study hope to build on the momentum by developing new and viable therapies using bone marrow cell manipulation technology.
they will do so by working to create the “most efficient methods of growing and delivering the cells” so that they can begin to offer clinical trials for a better look at what these cells are truly capable of.
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