http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-drt112106.php

Public release date: 21-Nov-2006
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Contact: Ron Najman
ron.najman@downstate.edu
718-270-2696
SUNY Downstate Medical Center


Downstate researchers target multiple sclerosis

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have developed a substance that inhibits the progress of multiple sclerosis (MS) in an animal model. The agent, a novel calpain inhibitor, can be administered orally.

Calpains are a family of proteolytic enzymes naturally found in the human body. Inappropriate activation of calpain is associated with a number of neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases such as MS. It is known to destroy the myelin sheath that coats and protects the nerves.

In a paper published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology, SUNY Downstate and Maimonides Medical Center researchers described the use of the calpain inhibitor for the treatment of a mouse model of MS. Whether administered by injection or by mouth, the inhibitor produced an almost complete cessation of the disease's progress.