In this study they looked at the specificity of the oligoclonal bands and came to the conclusion that they react to nothing that is consistent. We (the Royal we..i.e. one) have been hunting for years and the same answer has been there in every, yep every study….in that there is no consistent target in the oligolonal bands. B cells get in the CNS an survive for a very long time. MD2 came up...
The Scientific Process-If you can’t disprove it, it may be true!..But if you can, It’s not.
The scientific process is you set test a hypothesis that there is no difference between your idea and the control. If there is no difference you try something else and if there is a difference you move on. For regular readers you will have heard of Karl Popper before. Most of my peers have forgotten him. He told us we should not do experiments to prove our idea, we should do them to try and...
It’s a funny old world, this publishing business….Wanna know about T cells and have a laugh
T Helper Cells: The Modulators of Inflammation in Multiple SclerosisKunkl M, Frascolla S, Amormino C, Volpe E, Tuosto L. Cells. 2020 ;9(2). pii: E482. doi: 10.3390/cells9020482 …..The progress made in more than one decade of research in animal models of MS for clarifying the pathophysiology of MS disease validated the concept that MS is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder caused by the...
Anti-Drug Antibodies. Don’t SH1 on yourself when you have a problem…hatchet the others!
Rule #1 of “Pharma club” is Don’t admit you have a problem! Rule #2 of “Pharma Club” is “Don’t admit you have a problem”, Rule#3….Don’t admit… As you know. We have been looking at anti-drug antibody responses because they are important to the individuals who fail treatments as their drugs stop working. You can now get our latest...
CD20 wars under starters orders
How do you like your DMT served, long and slow or quick and easy? The regulators have the trial data for ofatumumab and it will now be up to the regulators to see how quick they approve the drug. It looks like the Americans will win with a Summer 2020 showing and the EMA will lag behind for 2021. In future what will the MHRA (UK regulators) do…follow the EMA or the FDA. Recently the FDA has...
Cannabis use in MS is here to stay
Muscle spasms, stiffness (also known in medical speak as spasticity) and pain are major problem areas in MS. Most are on tablets for this, commonly baclofen, with fewer individuals receiving botox for focal areas of stffness or intrathecal (via lumbar puncture directly into the CSF) baclofen for severe lower limb stiffness. Many also use cannabis for this indication, but the exact usage is...
Anti-Clotting agent for alemtuzumab
Alemtuzumab is a very good drug, but the problem is the side-effects issues that develop of which their are many and ever increasing it seems. However with the warnings about cardic risk, a change in label and alternatives, I suspect it would be putting a plaster on a sinking ship. However, it can tell us some interesting biology as can the PD-1 inhibitors, which also have side-effect problems. I...
When doing research, doesn’t help your cause
As part of our remit of working with beasties, it is important for us to discuss animal work. Working on EAE is becoming a dying art….I have recently met a few colleagues who have said their ethical boards have stopped them working on EAE. The Home Orifice in the UK, who control animal experiments in the UK has EAE within its sights and so we are living on borrowed time. Indeed in Europe...
The Battle of the Bottom Feeders
Matching-adjusted comparisons demonstrate better clinical outcomes in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis treated with peginterferon beta-1a than with teriflunomide. Newsome SD, Mokliatchouk O, Castrillo-Viguera C, Naylor ML. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 Jan 17;40:101954 In a fish tank you have the bottom feeders that clear up the scraps left by others, in this report we have a battle of...
Will we be joining the Glee Club?
You asked what do I think about the news of the mastitinib trial? I guess we have to wait and see what happens when it is presented at AAN at ECTRIMS but they are reporting activity on one dose (4.5mg/kg) in PPMS and non-relapsing SPMS. This could be good news if true, but it could also be part of a buy-me report for the company. Importantly for me the higher dose was not reported to work, so...