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Although years away, it sounds promising
NZ Team in MS
Breakthrough (Sunday Star - Times; Wellington, New Zealand)
NEW ZEALAND
scientists believe they may have discovered a cure for multiple sclerosis.
Scientists describe the findings as a breakthrough, but say it will be
several years before the treatment is available.
In New Zealand, 4000 people have the disease, which usually strikes between
the ages of 20 to 40, causing blurred vision, shaking, and numb fingers and
toes. Many patients are confined to wheelchairs, and ultimately the
disease can be fatal.
But researchers at Wellington's Malaghan Institute have discovered a way to
help the body cure itself of the disease. The treatment has been
proven in the laboratory and if it works in people, may spell an end to the
debilitating disease. For us, it is fantastic, said Dr Thomas
Backstrom, who leads the research team. I have never seen something
like that and I would never have dreamed of it a year ago. It is a
major breakthrough.
The scientists have discovered a way to kick-start the body's good immune or
regulatory T cells into blocking the actions of other aggressive T cells and
preventing the onset of MS. Backstrom hoped that a drug company would
begin clinical trials before the end of the year. It would be several
years before the treatment was available to the public.
Copyright © 2003 Medical World Communications, Inc. All rights
reserved.
Dr Backstrom wants to discover why the T-cells, the most important part of
the immune system, attack healthy tissues in people with these diseases. If
he gets an answer then finding cures will be easier.
http://www.malaghan.org.nz/aboutus/news/1999/10.12.medicinelengthens.htm
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