A promising multiple sclerosis treatment called Diaprotectome is entering Phase II trials with Greece as the focal point, moving to the human testing stage after encouraging results in laboratory animals.
If human trials confirm results seen in animal experiments, science may have a weapon that not only slows disease progression but potentially helps restore neurological function.
Results from tests on paralysed animals have been highly encouraging. Trials conducted in Greece, Australia and Israel showed paralysed animals regained the ability to walk after restoration of their nervous system’s natural function.
“Now, we must test what happens if the therapy is administered to humans,” Professor of Neurology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Nikolaos Grigoriadis told philenews. He will coordinate the research in Greece.
The study is led by Greek-Australian scientist Steven Petratos, who with his team at Monash University’s Department of Neuroscience in Melbourne has spent years studying a specific molecule for multiple sclerosis.
This effort led to the Diaprotectome therapy, which aims to repair damage developing within the central nervous system during disease progression.
Greece’s participation marks significant progress
“Greece’s participation in this innovative research programme represents significant progress in the fight against multiple sclerosis,” Professor Grigoriadis emphasised, leaving open the possibility for Cypriot patients to participate in the effort.
Currently, approximately 20 approved pharmaceutical preparations exist for multiple sclerosis, offering quality of life through relapse control. However, no existing therapies stop or reverse the disease’s progressive course.
“This gap is precisely what the new therapy aims to fill, and this remains to be proven through clinical studies and their results,” Grigoriadis said.
The therapy is based on a small molecule acting on two levels: first, protecting nerve fibres from further myelin destruction – the protective covering of neurons enabling rapid nerve signal transmission – and second, encouraging myelin regeneration (remyelination), “a process essential for restoring neurological function”.
The drug is safe for human use, as it is based on a known pharmaceutical substance used to treat a rare genetic condition in children, enabling progression to clinical trials.
Oral administration offers advantages
A key advantage is oral administration in pill form, with treatment not requiring discontinuation of other therapies. It can be taken as complementary therapy.
This provides an advantage for clinical trials involving approximately 400 patients across at least ten hospitals, who will not need to discontinue current medications.
“If results are successful, clinical trials will continue internationally, aiming for approval and mass production of the drug, which would certainly become a reference point for multiple sclerosis treatment if we reach this desired point,” the professor said.
More than 2.8 million people suffer from the disease worldwide. In Europe, patient numbers reach one million, exceeding 20,000 in Greece and 2,500 in Cyprus.
Encouraging preliminary results
Results from research to date give scientists reason for optimism. Diaprotectome appears to show exceptional potential in protecting the brain against inflammatory damage whilst assisting remyelination processes.
Tests on mice showed that within 30 days, rodents recovered motor functions previously lost due to central nervous system inflammation similar to multiple sclerosis, restoring normal nervous system function.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic immune-mediated disease affecting the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord.
The immune system attacks the protective covering (myelin) of nerve fibres, causing communication problems between the brain and body. The disease can ultimately cause permanent damage or deterioration of neuron function.
A 2022 major study (10 million population over 20 years) proposed EBV as the primary cause of multiple sclerosis, with recent EBV infection causing a 32-fold increase in multiple sclerosis development risk.
However, EBV infection alone appears insufficient for multiple sclerosis development, as over 90% of humans carry the virus.
