Nanoscale technology to uncover new MS treatment?
Tuesday 24th May 2011
Nanoscale imaging may lead to new treatments as well as detection and diagnosis methods for multiple sclerosis (MS), scientists have said.
A University of California - Santa Barbara team are using nanoscale technology to study the myelin sheaths around nerve cells known to be compromised in those with MS.
The myelin sheaths are only two molecules thick, which is less than one millionth of a millimetre, according to the research which is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researcher Jacob Israelachvili explained that the different components of the central nervous system communicate with each other throughout the body via electrical signals travelling along the myelin sheaths.
"Defects in the molecular or structural organization of myelin membranes lead to reduced transmission efficiency," he continued.
"This results in various sensory and motor disorders or disabilities, and neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis."
In other news, a new orally ingested medicine called Laquinimod has been found to delay MS and reduce relapse rates in a two year study presented at the 63rd annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Written by Mathew Horton
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