As detailed in MS Fundraising Campaign, this first Mind Brain Philanthropic Foundation campaign focuses on two projects. On this page, you’ll learn more about the first project: repurposing drugs as remyelination agents.

How Multiple Sclerosis Affects the Mind-Brain

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that leads to progressive disability as a consequence of cumulative injury to nervous system tissue.  The CNS has an inherent capacity to regenerate myelin based on the abundance of resident oligodendrocyte precursor cells.  Oligodendrocytes are the cells in the CNS that make myelin, an insulating substance essential to the function and health of axons and neurons. 

In Multiple Sclerosis, the natural regeneration of myelin is impaired by a substance termed Damage Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPS), which are released during inflammatory injury to the CNS.  DAMPS prevent natural myelin regeneration by activating a signaling system in oligodendrocytes termed the Toll-Like Receptor MyD88 pathway. 

Why Focus on Repurposing Drugs for MSers

This project focuses on identifying existing drugs that prevent the action of DAMPS on the Toll-Like Receptor MyD88 pathway and proving that they restore natural myelin regeneration in model systems. The goal then is to test these agents in phase I and phase II clinical trials to prove safety and efficacy in people with Multiple Sclerosis. 

Because the drugs have already been developed for other purposes, they have gone through toxicology and many are already FDA-approved.  Repurposing existing drugs saves time and money in the pursuit to restore lost function in people with MS. 

The campaign funds that go toward repurposing drugs will be used to assess the safety and efficacy of current lead compounds in people with MS that we have already identified in high-throughput screens and assessment of remyelination in model systems.

Funds will also be used to identify additional compounds that restore natural remyelination.

Learn About Project 2

You’re invited to learn more about the second project that the Mind Brain Philanthropic Foundation’s MS fundraising campaign focuses on. Click on Clostridium Perfringens.