New drug t20k could stop MS???

[Suebee]

Has anyone heard of
new drug T20K, an extract from the Oldenlandia Affinis . I came across this article promising it may stop MS. Sounds too good but possible?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0411112246.htm

[Suebee]

Abstract journal article on drug http://m.pnas.org/content/113/15/3960

[Suebee]

The herb is part of the coffee family and has cyclotides
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23897543/

Anyone out there with science background that can explain the importance of this discovery or is this just pre-marketing PR before trial starts? Thanks!

[Suebee]

Is this related to how Coffee helps slow MS progression?

Could cyclotides be why coffee has shown to have neuro protective qualities in diseases like MS?
http://www.medicaldaily.com/drinking...u-drink-323660

Hey Science gurus out there, did I make too much of a leap? Article says six cups of coffee helps MS. (Maybe the fatigue?!?) But is discovery about this new extract perhaps isolating the neuroprotective element in coffee family plants? I fantasize that I could make my own batch to stop my progression. I want it so bad now. Let's stop MS.

[cl3me]

I would put this in the protective category, not curative

[celia]

I note that the article was published in PNAS, (Proceedings of the National Academy..). This is a real journal, but articles are not peer-reviewed in the usual sense, but rather anyone who is a member of the academy, or vouched for by a member, can put an article in. I was warned about this during a stint in grad school in biology.

So, a PNAS article might be interesting, and possibly news-making, but not definitive. For a physics funny horror story about PNAS, and the son of a member, google "Jello X-Ray Laser."

[Suebee]

It's a T cell regulator

Ok , upon further investigation, slogging through the very esoteric journal article, I learned the tk20 drug works by regulating T cells. In that respect I think it's similar to current DMDs out there. (We've talked about the hypothesis behind the T cell regulation before and whether B cell regulation is maybe better in other threads)
Here is what the researchers reported as to why it is better:
"Inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation and the reduction of proinflammatory cytokines, in particular IL-2, distinguish the cyclotide [tk20] from other marketed drugs"
Researchers explain why this discovery is important to MS- " cyclotides, in particular [T20K]kB1, inhibit T-cell proliferation by down-regulation of IL-2 release as well as IL-2R/CD25 surface expression (13). The cytokine IL-2 physiologically plays an important role in T-lymphocyte activation and acts as an autocrine factor to stimulate T-cell proliferation (19). Enhanced or continuous T-cell activation is a major cause of autoimmune disorders and can lead to persistent inflammation, causing tissue and organ damage (20). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common type of autoimmune disease in young adults, which is characterized by sustained inflammation of the CNS. Autoreactive T lymphocytes of the TH17 subset target myelin brain antigens, eliciting inflammatory cell influx into the CNS, demyelination, axonal damage, and neuronal degradation (21, 22). Several therapeutics targeting different aspects to modulate or suppress T-cell signaling are available, but the parenteral administration route of many drugs reduces their attractiveness for chronic treatment (23). Only three marketed compounds that are specific for MS treatment are active via oral administration [i.e., dimethyl fumarate, teriflunomide, and fingolimod (Gilenya), a sphingosine 1-phospate receptor ligand]; however, many and severe side effects limit their therapeutic use (24)."

The full article : Oral activity of a nature-derived cyclic peptide for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti.../#!po=0.267380

What 'd you think? Is this puffery? Can I grab onto this discovery to strengthen my hope? CVFactor, are you out there? I miss your science lessons.

[Cvfactor]

Hi Suebee,

I'm really not qualified to make an evaluation as I only have a mechanical engineering degree.

But if MS is purely an autoimmune disease driven by T cells (or B-cells) then you would think some of the existing therapies would halt progression. Maybe they do for some.

I think some researchers believe that after the inflammatory phase of the disease (or concurrently) something else drives the progressive phase, namely a chronically activated innate immune system.

If is what is the cause of progression I don't know if another T-cell therapy will work or not but hopefully they will pursue it to find out.

[Suebee]

Thanks for responding CVfactor. I think you are right in your assessment. I want breakthrough discoveries , I think I was a little too eager to believe. How are you doing? Are you still taking the albutetol? Have you noticed any benefits at this point? I hope you are doing well . P.S. You have done a lot of research on your treatment protocols and I always find your thoughts here helpful. And I also figured you were probably an engineer b/c of Your moniker.

[Cvfactor]

Hi Subee,

Still taking the Albuterol and haven't had any issues with it though I dId have a relapse a few months after starting.

I hope all is good with you.

Take care