New method promises to alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis

About 1 million people in the U.S. live with multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that inflames the nervous system and scrambles communication between the brain and body. MS, for which there is no single cause or cure, affects people of all demographics with symptoms like fatigue, memory difficulties, vision impairment and mobility loss. 

UIC researchers have developed a new way to deliver anti-inflammatory drugs to the central nervous system. Their method, which deploys immune-regulating cells wearing anti-inflammatory “nanopacks,” promises to alleviate the symptoms of MS and other incurable autoimmune diseases. Their work appears in the journal Science Advances.

Autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis have no cure. Developing reliable therapeutic options is critical.”

Zongmin Zhao, lead investigator, assistant professor in the Retzky College of Pharmacy and University of Illinois Cancer Center affiliate

Inflammation and MS go hand in hand. Current therapeutics often involve delivering anti-inflammatory drugs to the central nervous system through its highest point, the brain. But Zhao said the blood-brain barrier blocks many drugs from entering the brain at all.  

“If drugs can get through, they do alleviate some symptoms but are usually not strong enough to provide a complete cure,” he said. 

Zhao’s lab specializes in creating therapeutic cells for delivery to various parts of the body - including difficult-to-access organs like the brain. They’ve spent the last three years focused on MS. 

The cells they’ve developed for MS are like travelers hiking through the central nervous system and toting packs of supplies. The hikers are myeloid-derived suppressor cells, immune cells that find and suppress inflammation. Atop the cells are nano-sized packs filled with rapamycin, an anti-inflammatory drug. The nanopack boosts the hiker cell, sharpening its ability to find inflamed areas and amplifying its anti-inflammatory abilities. Together, the duo can breach the blood-brain barrier and siphon rapamycin into the nervous system. 

This therapy works by reprogramming the nervous system’s immune response. In mice, it reduced disease progression and improved motor function. 

“The potential of this work extends well beyond multiple sclerosis,” said coauthor Luyu Zhang, a PhD student in Zhao’s lab. “This method may be a promising strategy for targeted immunotherapy in MS and other autoimmune disorders.” 

Future applications may include heart disease or arthritis, which are similarly difficult to treat. 

The researchers named this method CNS Immune Targeting Enabled by MDSCs, or CITED. 

Additional UIC researchers include Endong Zhang, Hanan Algarni, Luyu Zhang, Chih-Jia Chao, Shan He, Aditi Upadhye, Qing Bao, Dahee Jung, Shubhi Srivastava, Edidiong Udofa, Philana Phan, Dejan S. Nikolic, Steve Seung-Young Lee and Dr. Jalees Rehman, who is also affiliated with the University of Illinois Cancer Center.