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Immunotherapy 2019 Immunology Case Reports | Volume 3
Page 12
May 22-23, 2019 | Rome, Italy
2nd Global Summit on OF EXCELLENCE
IN INTERNATIONAL
MEETINGS
YEARS
IMMUNOLOGY
AND CANCER THERAPY
THE STORY OF GLATIRAMER ACETATE
(COPAXONE) IN THE TREATMENT OF
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS-THE POTENTIAL
FOR NEUROPROTECTION BY
IMMUNOMODULATORY TREATMENT
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is currently recognized as complex diseases in
which inflammatory autoimmune reactivity in the central nervous sys-
tem (CNS) results in demyelination, axonal and neuronal pathology. Treat-
ment strategies thus aim to reduce the detrimental inflammation and induce
neuroprotective repair processes. The synthetic copolymer Copaxone (glati-
ramer 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 animal model of MS -experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
(EAE), themechanismof action of GAwas elucidated. These studies indicated
that GA treatment generates immunomodulatory shift from the inflammato-
ry towards the anti-inflammatory pathways, such as Th2-cells that cross the
blood brain barrier (BBB) and secrete in situ anti-inflammatory cytokines, as
well as T-regulatory cells (Tregs) that suppress the disease. The consequenc-
es of GA treatment on the CNS injury inflicted by the disease were studied
using immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and magnetic resonance
imaging. These analyses revealed reduced demyelination and neuro-axonal
damages, as well as neuroprotective repair processes such as neurotrophic
factors secretion, remyelination and neurogenesis. These combined findings
indicate that immunomodulatory treatment can counteract the neurode-
generative disease course, supporting linkage between immunomodulation,
neuroprotection and therapeutic activity in the CNS.
Rina Aharoni, Immunol Case Rep 2019, Volume 3
Rina Aharoni is working as a Senior Research
Staff Scientist in the Department of Immunology
at The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. She
completed her BSc in Biology at Hebrew Uni-
versity, Israel. She completed her MSc and PhD
in Life Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of
Science, Israel and Postdoctoral Research from
Stanford University, USA. Her area of research in-
terests are in neuroimmunology, autoimmunity,
pathology and therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS)
and its model experimental autoimmune en-
cephalomyelitis (EAE), immunomodulation, neu-
roprotection and repair processes in the central
nervous system and inflammatory bowel diseas-
es (IBD). She has published more than 70 papers
and reviews on these subjects. She is the Editorial
Board Member of 20 journals.
Rina Aharoni
University of Crete, Greece
BIOGRAPHY
Keynote Forum | Day 1