New Cell-Targeted Therapy May Help Prevent MS

A new cell therapy targeting B cells, a type of white blood cell in the immune system, may help combat multiple sclerosis (MS), research published by the American Academy of Neurology suggests.

MS is a disease of the central nervous system in which the body's nerve-insulating myelin is under attack and communication between the brain and nerves is disrupted, often leading to muscle weakness.

The study involved 231 people with relapsing-remitting MS, meaning the disease ebbs and flows in terms of its degree of intensity. At times some of its victims may experience full or partial recovery of function.

Participants received either several low dosages of the drug ofatumumab, which is an anti-B cell antibody, or a placebo, for 24 weeks, assessing the presence of new brain legions in each patient. Although all of the participants had lesion activity in the first four weeks, the study found that participants on any dose of anti-B cell therapy showed much less disease activity between the subsequent four- to 12-week period.

In fact, lesion activity was significantly reduced during the latter half of the experiment, when B cells were maintained below a certain threshold, indicating that ofatumumab may play a role in fighting MS.

"These results need to be validated, of course, but the findings are interesting," lead investigator Darrin Austin of GlaxoSmithKline, the drug's manufacturer, said in a press release. "They provide new insight into the mechanism of B cells in MS and present a possible new target threshold for exploring the potential benefit of anti-B cell therapy."

On average, participants had an annualized rate of less than one new brain lesion per year when B cells were maintained below a certain threshold, compared to 16 lesions without treatment.

At least 5 percent of the study's participants developed side effects from the treatment over the course of the 12 weeks, including injection-related reactions, dizziness, anxiety, fever, respiratory tract infection and nerve pain.

The findings are not yet conclusive, but experts agree the drug shows promise.

"The data is very compelling with regard to ofatumumab's ability to limit new lesions accumulating in the brain," Dr. Karen Blitz, director of the North-Shore LIJ Multiple Sclerosis Center, told Health Day.

Researchers note that ofatumumab is not yet approved for MS treatment.