New MS Drug Target Shows Promise

"The symptoms may vary from person to person, the disease course will be variable, and we don't understand why there is this difference among people with MS," she said.

"And so," she added, "what is terrific about this study is that it compares the different forms of MS."

Six MS treatments have been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration, but there is as yet no cure for the disease, according to O'Looney. The two drugs Steinman used have been approved by the FDA for use in treating other diseases, however. Hirulog is an anti-coagulant protein fragment derived from leeches; Xigris is a recombinant form of activated protein C, for use against severe sepsis.

Those approvals should give researchers a head-start in getting these compounds into clinical testing for MS, Steinman said. "We can already jump past toxicity testing, because they are already approved," he noted.

But that doesn't mean doctors should administer these drugs to their MS patients right now, Steinman cautioned.

"It needs to be tested in clinical trials. We need evidence, and these drugs have serious potential side effects," he said. "But organized, well-run clinical trials should be done, because these drugs may be of immense potential benefit to people with MS."

Praising the study's use of donated human samples, O'Looney added that, "it's a perfect example of how we can learn so much from the use of tissue samples. We are so indebted to people with MS who leave the message that their bodies are available to researchers. So, this is the perfect example of how valuable that is. That's what drove this study."

More information

For more on multiple sclerosis, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

SOURCES: Larry Steinman, M.D., professor, neurology and neurological sciences, and chair, Interdepartmental Program in Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Patricia A. O'Looney, Ph.D., vice president of biomedical research, National Multiple Sclerosis Society; Feb. 17, 2008, advance online publication,Nature