Cell-Targeted therapy for treatment of MS

Treatment targeting specific white blood cells in the immune system known as B cells may help people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests.

The study involved 231 people with a form of MS that's called relapsing-remitting. For these patients, there are times when their disease is very active. At other times, the condition becomes less intense and they may experience a full or partial recovery of function, reported WebMD.

Researchers gave the participants either several low doses of a drug called ofatumumab or a harmless placebo pill. Ofatumumab is an "anti-B cell antibody" and is not yet approved for the treatment of MS. The research was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, the drug's maker.

Researchers led by GlaxoSmithKline investigator Darrin Austin analyzed the effects of this drug compared to the dummy pill on the total number of new brain lesions the patients developed over the course of 12 weeks.

The team compared the amount of B cells the participants had with the number of new brain lesions found on brain scans. Although all of the participants had lesion activity in the first four weeks, the study found that participants on any dose of anti-B cell therapy showed much less disease activity between the subsequent four- to 12-week period.

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