LAST EDITED ON Jun-17-13 AT 08:33 AM (EDT)
 
Phase 1 trial safely resets patients’ immune systems, reduces attack on myelin protein

It's happening in Europe (Switzerland); official approval for Phase II (efficacy trials) has already been given there, and the scientists are in the process of fundraising. The gist of it is that they draw out a bunch of white blood cells from the patient and process them such that, once they're reintroduced intravenously, the immune system starts recognizing myelin as harmless and stops attacking it.

For those who aren't familiar with it, MS is an autoimmune disorder, in which the immune system attacks the protective layer (myelin) around some rather important nerves in the spinal cord, brain, and eyes. I don't think anyone's figured out just why this starts happening in the first place, but if this holds up in Phase II and Phase III, it's huge. The article linked above mentions that a similar process (using nanoparticles instead of white blood cells) was developed and researched at Northwestern (nanoparticles could be significantly cheaper than reprocessed white blood cells for this), and that these types of treatments could be used to treat other autoimmune disorders (e.g. lupus) and allergies (such as shockingly lethal peanut allergies).

Of course, it'll be some time before these treatments become approved for clinical use anywhere, but ... well, if the Phase II trials get funded, I hear Switzerland's a nice place to visit.

"Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately, it also brought mortis."
- Kenneth Boulding