An experimental drug gave mice with MS-like disease their movement back.
In a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, the experimental drug K-9 restored function after paralysis and vision loss had already set in. It has not been tested in people with MS.
NIH-funded researchers at UVA report that kamuvudine-9 (K-9) restored function after pre-existing paralysis and vision loss in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, while preserving nerve fibers. A separate insurance-claims analysis of more than 3 million people found lower MS diagnosis and relapse rates associated with related NRTI drugs.
WHAT HAPPENED
In the animal model, K-9 blocked inflammasome activation and mice recovered function they had already lost. The paper appeared in Science Translational Medicine on Sep 23. K-9 has not been tested in people with MS.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
Most MS research aims to prevent future damage. This experiment produced recovery after damage — in animals — creating a genuinely different scientific possibility worth testing.
ORIGINAL SOURCENational Institutes of Health / UVA HealthRead the original report
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