Myelin-Maker: How an FDA-Approved Drug Boosts Myelin Synthesis

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Newswise BUFFALO, N.Y. Damage to myelin, the fatty insulator that enables communication between nerve cells, characterizes multiple sclerosis (MS) and other devastating neurological diseases.

The damage doesnt come all at once: There is a honeymoon period during which some regeneration of myelin, called remyelination, does occur, but this ability to regenerate dissipates as the disease progresses and the patient ages.

Now, a University at Buffalo researcher has discovered a way to keep that kind of remyelination going, using a drug thats already on the market.

A paper describing the research results was published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience.

We have identified a new drug target that promotes stem cell therapy for myelin-based disease, such as MS, says lead author Fraser J. Sim, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

IMAGE: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/02/046.html.

The study shows it is possible to boost myelination by targeting human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells with solifenacin, an anti-muscarinic drug that currently is approved and marketed to treat overactive bladder.

Our hypothesis is that in MS, the oligodendrocyte progenitor cells seem to get stuck, Sim explains. When these cells dont mature properly, they dont differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes.

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Myelin-Maker: How an FDA-Approved Drug Boosts Myelin Synthesis