MS Vaccines (Continued)

These Are Different From Current MS Therapies

Are the Vaccines Different Than What We Have Now?

They treat the cause of the problem. No one knows what makes our T-cells go rogue and start attacking our myelin, but we are pretty sure that those rogue T-cells are wreaking havoc. What if we could make them stop doing it, either by getting rid of those very T-cells or by “teaching” those T-cells not to behave badly?

They are specific. Right now, all of the drugs we have to fight MS are pretty “dirty,” and operate almost like throwing a fistful of pebbles at a target. Some of them will hit the bullseye, but some will also miss the target altogether. Also, sticking with the metaphor, the impact of these drugs is weaker than many of us wish for. The vaccines seem to target the exact problem cells, albeit in different ways.

There will hopefully be fewer side effects. Because the vaccines are so targeted to certain cells, it is unlikely that we will see any overall suppression or overstimulation of the immune system.

Dosing will be infrequent. Not a small point for people who currently inject themselves one to several times a week, these vaccines will probably be administered much less frequently. One of them currently looks like it will be a monthly injection, but at least one company says their product will probably be given twice a year. There is even speculation that Tovaxin may permanently eliminate the T-cells that are causing the damage in some people and that these people will just need to be monitored on a regular basis.

Bottom Line

Yes, they are still in testing and far away from being available to most of us. However, they are very exciting, for all the reasons that I mentioned above. I have my favorites in the race and I will be watching the Clinical Trials Database closely for clinical trials that I might be eligible to participate in.

_Source:

Correale J, Farez M, Gilmore W. Vaccines for multiple sclerosis: progress to date. CNS Drugs. 2008;22(3):175-98.

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