Multiple Sclerosis Discovery: The Podcast Of The Ms Discovery Forum

[intro music]   Host – Dan Keller  Hello, and welcome to Episode Seventeen of Multiple Sclerosis Discovery, the podcast of the MS Discovery Forum. I’m your host, Dan Keller.   This week’s podcast features an interview with Dr. Hans Lassmann about the usefulness of animal models for studying multiple sclerosis. But to begin, here’s a brief summary of the developments at the MS Discovery Forum at msdiscovery.org.   In the progressive stage of multiple sclerosis, some astrocytes appear to upregulate genes that intensify inflammation and neurodegeneration. Researchers think that genetic changes cause astrocytes to release a fatty molecule that beckons inflammatory monocytes from the blood into the brain. A drug, miglustat, currently used in the treatment of Gaucher’s disease, may be a good candidate to repurpose as a drug to inhibit astrocytes from initiating this destructive process.   The so-called “long life” protein, Klotho, may hold the keys to remyelination. Named after the Greek goddess responsible for “sp