Breakthrough Nanoparticle Halts Multiple Sclerosis

Northwestern Medicine researchers developed a biodegradable nanoparticle (shown here) that regulates the immune system in mice with multiple sclerosis.

In a breakthrough for nanotechnology and multiple sclerosis, a biodegradable nanoparticle turns out to be the perfect vehicle to stealthily deliver an antigen that tricks the immune system into stopping its attack on myelin and halt a model of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice, according to new Northwestern Medicine research.

The new nanotechnology also can be applied to a variety of immune-mediated diseases including, Type 1 diabetes, food allergies, and airway allergies such as asthma. 

In MS, the immune system attacks the myelin membrane that insulates nerves cells in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. When the insulation is destroyed, electrical signals can’t be effectively conducted, resulting in symptoms that range from mild limb numbness to paralysis or blindness. About 80 percent of MS patients are diagnosed with the relapsing remitting form of the disease.

Noticia completa: http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/news/2012/11/nanoparticle.html