Multiple sclerosis will be cured by liposomes with myelin
Scientists from IBH RAS have developed a drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis
Yulia Shulyak, IBH RAS
A team of scientists from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the companies "Pharmsintez" and "Xenetic Biosciences" and the St. Petersburg City Center for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis No. 31 has created a new form of vaccine for the treatment of one of the most severe neurodegenerative diseases of autoimmune nature. The drug has successfully passed preclinical trials and two clinical stages, which, in case of positive results of the third stage, will allow it to be used in the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. The results are published in the journal Neurotherapeutics (Belogurov et al., CD206-Targeted Liposomal Myelin Basic Protein Peptides in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Resistant to First-Line Disease-Modifying Therapies: A First-in-Human, Proof-of-Concept Dose-Escalation Study).
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which the myelin (protective) sheath of nerve fibers is damaged. This process leads to the gradual loss of various functions of the nervous system associated with the physical and psycho-emotional state of the patient. In Russia, more than 200 thousand people aged 15-25 suffer from the disease, which makes it a complex social problem.
– Many laboratories around the world are working on finding effective solutions for the treatment and therapy of multiple sclerosis, – says Alexey Belogurov, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Biocatalysis of the IBH RAS, one of the authors of the article. – Despite the prevalence of the disease, there is no ideal medicine, and most drugs cause side effects. In Russia, the bulk of drugs are purchased abroad at the expense of the budget, for example, one of the most popular drugs costs more than 3 billion rubles annually. It is obvious that the creation of a high-quality domestic medicine can solve the social and economic problem, which is what we are doing now.
Scientists from IBH RAS have proposed a vaccine, the main component of which is liposomes (lipid vesicles–transporters). They contain fragments of the myelin protein, which acts as a structural insulator of nerve fibers in the body. During the experiment, three protein fragments were selected, one of which has a therapeutic effect at the initial stages of the development of the disease, and the other two prevent the development of pathology at the stage of remission. The laboratory found that the most effective option is the joint introduction of all three fragments inside the liposomes.
Preclinical trials were conducted on Dark Agouti (DA) rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which is similar to multiple sclerosis in humans. As a result, the positive effect of fragments of the myelin protein was established and the developed vaccine was tested. The previous achievements of the laboratory helped to create the drug, in particular, the technique of encapsulating fragments of the myelin protein, that is, surrounding peptides with a single-layer liposome.
– The created vaccines were tested in a series of clinical trials on healthy volunteers and patients with multiple sclerosis, conducted in five major national centers in Russia. We have established that the drug has good tolerability and a very low probability of complications," Alexey notes.
The significance of the main protein of myelin and its prospects for research in the field of therapy of multiple sclerosis, the laboratory staff showed back in 2006-2008. Then scientists studied autoantibodies from the blood serum of patients with multiple sclerosis and laboratory animals developing experimental autoimmune encephalitis. This cycle of work became the starting point for the development of effective therapy for this pathology.
It remains to wait for the results of the final phase of clinical trials, which will allow the new drug to clinical practice for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
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27.06.2016