Experimental MS drug may help preserve oligo precursors

Novartis's experimental oral drug FTY720, aka fingolimod, is currently in phase 3 clinical trials as a potential disease-modifying drug for MS. Taking place concurrently with the clinical trials are lab studies aimed at discovering what this drug is doing biologically. FTY720 has already been shown to have several effects on the immune system, such as trapping immune cells in the lymph nodes and thus preventing them from circulating in the body. However, the drug has also been shown to pass through the blood-brain barrier and may have some beneficial effects there as well. A recent study (free access PDF:) reports that one of these effects may be to keep alive precursor cells that could turn into oligodendrocytes (OLGs).

In this study, researchers grew cultures of OLG progenitor cells and subjected them to growth factor deprivation and exposure to factors such as interferon-gamma and TNF-alpha -- all of which cause these cells to die via a process called apoptosis. However, adding FTY720 to these toxic environments resulted in fewer cells dying. Interestingly, adding the growth factor NT-3 along with FTY720 further increased cell survival *and* induced these cells to assume a more mature OLG-like shape. (Enhancing OLG precursor survival is good, but these cells need to mature into OLGs in order to be truly helpful.)

Although we'll have to wait for the phase 3 trials results to know how well this drug will work in practice, it's encouraging to hear about compounds in development that could help promote repair in the CNS.