Genetically engineered cells have been shown to repair nerve tissue when transplanted into mice brains in a breakthrough that scientists say could halt or reverse disability in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Researchers at Edinburgh University hope that their "exciting" discovery can be adapted into human treatments in future.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, are the result of six years of work by a team at the MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research.
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The study focused on potential techniques to repair myelin, the protective coating surrounding nerves which is damaged in patients with multiple sclerosis.
This makes it harder for the brain to send messages to the muscles, affecting how a person walks, moves, sees, thinks, and feels.
In healthy people, the body has the ability to repair myelin but in MS - and during the ageing process - this becomes less effective, and there are currently to medical treatments that can boost the process.
Scientists in Edinburgh experimented with genetically-engineered human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs).
OPCs are naturally found in the brain and normally transform into oligodendrocytes, which produce myelin. In patients with MS, this process is blocked Using gene editing technology known as CRISPR, the researchers altered human OPCs so that they would ignore these anti-repair signals.
When these cells were transplanted into mouse brains, they found that the process of re-myelination improved.
Anna Williams, a professor of regenerative neurology who led the research, said: “Many studies in the past have tried to transplant oligodendrocytes or similar cells into the brain to repair myelin.
"However, the hostile environment of MS lesions stops these transplanted cells from working.
"The difference in our study – which was six years in the making – is that we were able to genetically modify the transplanted cells so that they would ignore these negative signals and repair myelin.
"This is exciting as now we have shown that we can scientifically tweak cells in a dish and transplant them into models to improve repair.”
"This is an approach similar to gene therapy which may be an effective method of promoting re-myelination in the future.”
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Joanne Newall, 36, from Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in 2021.
She is Group Coordinator of the MS Society Ayrshire and Arran Local Group.
Ms Newall became fascinated in MS research after listening to talks by researchers at a recent community event jointly hosted by her group and MS Society Scotland.
She said: “After attending the 'Living Well with MS Ayrshire and Arran’ event in August, I am amazed by the amount of research going on right here in Scotland.
“It's reassuring to know that research is making positive steps forward to stop disability progression in people with all types of MS.
"Also, knowing that there is now talk of hopefully moving onto the stage of human research gives me hope of a future without MS.
“The work the researchers are doing is fascinating and shows how much of a leap research has come on in 20 years.
"This is nothing but positive for the MS community.”
Caitlin Astbury, research communications manager for the MS Society, said: “Current treatments for MS work by targeting the immune system, making it less likely to attack the protective myelin coating around nerves.
"But we desperately need to find ways to repair the damage to myelin that has already been done.
“We’re really proud to have funded this innovative study and the results are invaluable in helping us understand how myelin repair could work.
"Research like this brings us one step closer to finding treatments that can stop disability progression for everyone.”
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