Method for treatment of demyelinating central nervous system disease

Abstract

A method for treating demyelinating central nervous system diseases in a subject that comprises administering to the subject a composition comprising a therapeutically active amount of colony stimulating factor or CSF-like ligand. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the CSF is a GM-CSF. In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, CSF is sargramostim.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the treatment of demyelinating central nervous system diseases, including multiple sclerosis. The treatment method of the present invention includes the use of colony stimulating factors.[0002] Inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in most cases is a chronic, incurable illness. Manifestations include, but are not limited to, inflammation, axonal degeneration, fatigue, cognitive impairment, neurological impairment and, of course, demyelination. The manifestations may include the following clinical patterns: acute, chronic, single episode, recurrent episodes, progressive, progressive-relapsing, relapsing-progressive, or unremitting.[0003] In most cases such illnesses meet the definition of multiple sclerosis (MS), a pathologically diverse syndrome. No single etiological factor can be demonstrated for MS, but it is widely felt to be an immune-mediated or autoimmune condition resulting from an initial infection wit...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is about using colony stimulating factors to treat inflammatory central nervous system diseases, specifically demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. The invention is based on the discovery that colony stimulating factors, which were previously used to treat hematological and neoplastic diseases, can also be effective for treating central nervous system demyelinating diseases. The method involves administering a composition containing a therapeutically active amount of colony stimulating factor to the subject. The invention provides a way to treat and reduce symptoms of demyelinating central nervous system diseases, as well as prevent them in genetically predisposed individuals."

Problems solved by technology

This loss of myelin results in loss of electrical insulation and the "short-circuiting" of the electrical pathways mediated by the affected nerves and progressive neurological impairment.

Currently available treatments are not believed to be effective at reducing pre-existing disability.

Clinical use of colony stimulating factors (CSFS) has been mostly limited to diseases outside the central nervous system.

These efforts have demonstrated long-term safety of administration and limited clinical efficacy in neoplastic disease.

A previous and widely cited phase I clinical trial found that interferon-gamma, a proinflammatory cytokine, increased symptoms of multiple sclerosis and was felt to be unsuitable for further investigation.

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