Acorda’s remyelination programs include two
distinct therapeutic approaches to stimulate repair
of the damaged myelin sheath Myelin is the insulating
layer of membranes that surrounds most nerve fibers.
When an axon is demyelinated, nerve impulses “short
circuit” much like a wire whose insulation
has been stripped.
What is Demyelination?
In 2002, Acorda acquired an exclusive worldwide
license from CeNeS, Ltd. to the neuregulins –
a class of naturally occurring protein growth factors
that have multiple effects on the nervous system
and potential therapeutic applications in neurologic
conditions.
The most clinically advanced of these agents, Glial
Growth Factor 2 (GGF2), is a member of the neuregulin
family of growth factors related to epidermal growth
factor. The neuregulins bind to erbB receptors,
which translate the growth factor signal to the
cell and cause changes in cell growth, protein production
and gene expression. The molecule was shown in published
studies to stimulate remyelination in animal models
of MS and to have a range of other effects in neural
protection and repair.
Acorda’s remyelinating antibody program is
based on an exclusive license to patents derived
from more than 15 years of research performed at
the Mayo Clinic. The program is designed to promote
remyelination of affected areas of the brain and
spinal cord.
Studies have demonstrated the ability of this family
of antibodies to stimulate repair of the myelin
sheath in three different animal models of MS. In
particular, these antibodies were found to react
with molecules on the surface of the cells that
make the myelin sheath and stimulate them in a number
of ways, leading to increased remyelination activity.
First identified in mice, similar antibodies were
subsequently identified in human blood samples by
the Mayo team and Acorda has been able to produce
a recombinant human antibody that may be suitable
for clinical development.
Whereas Fampridine-SR
may restore function by pharmacologically compensating
for myelin loss in some axons, these antibodies
may actually replace the lost myelin, which may
provide additional benefit.
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