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Austrian university claims potential multiple sclerosis breakthrough

Xinhua, March 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria claim they may be on the verge of a breakthrough in treating autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) following promising test results.

The team, led by Christian Gruber, chief researcher from the Center for Physiology and Pharmacology at the university, worked on the project with international partners from Germany, Australia and Sweden.

In their research they were able to show in animal models that a treatment involving the use of a specially synthesized plant peptide, known as a cyclotide, was able to halt the progression of the disease.

"The one-off administration of the active agent brought about a great improvement in symptoms," Gruber stated in a press release from the university.

"There were no further attacks of the disease," he added.

MS effects the central nervous system and is at present incurable. It is marked by attacks or "episodes," the university defining an episode as either the occurrence of new symptoms or flare-ups of existing ones, and is associated with either an immediate or a deferred deterioration in the condition of the patient.

Present treatments are only able to slow progression of the disease and bring with them significant side effects, particularly over the longer-term.

The Vienna-based team hopes the new findings will however result in either a halting of the disease or at least to greatly retard its progression. This could occur through administering the drug as soon as functional neurological problems occur and MRI scans identify pathological changes in the central nervous system, they said.

The researchers have filed patents on the treatment in several countries and have licensed them to a company they have set up to carry out further development, in particular to develop a safe orally-active drug for the treatment of the disease. Gruber said phase one of clinical trials could start by 2018.

Cyclotides are also easily obtainable as they can be isolated from all main plant families, it was stated, and have the benefit of being able to be delivered orally as opposed to many current MS treatments that must be administered intravenously. Endit