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Virology Research Journal
|
Volume 2
Page 49
allied
academies
IMMUNOLOGY AND CELL BIOLOGY
BACTERIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
&
Global Summit on
Global Congress on
J u n e 2 5 - 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 | A m s t e r d a m , N e t h e r l a n d s
Joint Event on
FROM BASIC RESEARCH TO DRUG DEVELOPMENT: THE STORY
OF COPAXONE (GLATIRAMER ACETATE) IN THE TREATMENT
OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR
ADDITIONAL PATHOLOGIES
Rina Aharoni
The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
M
ultiple sclerosis (MS) is currently recognized as complex diseases in which inflammatory autoimmune reactivity in the central
nervous system (CNS) results in demyelination, axonal and neuronal pathology. Treatment strategies aim to reduce the
detrimental inflammation and induce neuroprotective repair processes. The synthetic copolymer Copaxone (glatiramer acetate,
GA), an approved drug for the treatment of MS, is the first and so far the only therapeutic agent to have a copolymer as its active
ingredient. Using the animalmodel ofMS -experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the immunomodulatorymechanism
of action of GA was elucidated. It was found that GA treatment induces immunomodulatory shift from the inflammatory towards
the anti-inflammatory pathways, such as Th2-cells that cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) and secrete
in situ
anti-inflammatory
cytokines, aswell asT-regulatory cells (Tregs) that suppress the disease. Furthermore, recent studies revealed neuroprotective and
repair consequences of GA treatment in the CNS. These include elevation in neurotrophic factors expressions, remyelination and
neurogenesis. Based on its immunomodulatory mode of action, additional potential applications of GA were investigated, such as
prevention of immune rejection, improvement of stem cells engraftment and amelioration of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
rina.aharoni@weizmann.ac.ilVirol Res J 2018, Volume 2