https://neurosciencenews.com/gut-immune-responses-ms-trigger...
A landmark study from Keio University (published March 2026 in Science Immunology) has identified a key mechanism linking the gut to MS.
This opens the door to new MS treatments targeting the gut itself — such as modifying gut bacteria or blocking the abnormal antigen-presenting activity of IECs — rather than broadly suppressing the immune system
AstraZeneca is doing some really interesting research in this area - cell therapies that reset the immune system to eliminate the dysfunctional cells driving autoimmune disease, and then allow a healthy immune system to rebuild (for diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis).
konschubert 2 hours ago [-]
Today, there is also AHSCT.
There are already clinics where they basically remove your immune system and give you a new one. If you don’t die in the process, you are likely to be cured of MS.
(Any existing damage will remain.)
Currently this is reserved for the most quickly progressing cases but if we can make this safer and cheaper, it might in future be applied as an early stage cure, so people can go on to live healthy lives.
That being said, Astra Zenecas approach does seem much safer, if it’s proven to be effective!
SmellTheGlove 1 hours ago [-]
Yeah AHSCT is no joke. I mentioned in another comment my wife has MS - diagnosed last year in her mid 40s with thankfully no severe impairment. They discussed AHSCT with us but didn’t recommend it unless another disease modifying treatment didn’t work. Thankfully, Tysabri seems to be working well for her.
My mom passed from leukemia years ago. Or rather, from an infection as she was starting HSCT. I’m sure it’s safer than it was 30 years ago, but being without an immune system for a period of time really is still a last resort.
johnisgood 16 minutes ago [-]
I would not mind remyelination + being on a DMT, heh.
JoshTriplett 1 hours ago [-]
> There are already clinics where they basically remove your immune system and give you a new one. If you don’t die in the process
Of side effects of the process, or of opportunistic diseases during the transition?
SmellTheGlove 1 hours ago [-]
The latter is my understanding.
SmellTheGlove 1 hours ago [-]
It would be amazing if this type of treatment worked out. MS in particular seems to be a race between technology and your immune system. You hope the next cutting edge treatment is ready by the time the current state of the art stops working for you.
mjlee 2 hours ago [-]
Anokion (now bankrupt) also seemed to have some progress along these lines (link below).
A close family member suffers from MS and is on the more effective but less safe drugs available. They haven’t suffered a relapse since starting them four years ago, but they have been hospitalised twice as a result of side effects.
As we learn more about the relationship between the immune system and various seemingly unrelated diseases the research and understanding has massively increased over the last few years. I’m cautiously optimistic that better treatments aren’t far away. An ancestor was lobotomised for hysteria in the 1960s, before being diagnosed with MS.
I was part of a team researching MS at a university a while ago. It truly is an endlessly fascinating disease. Most evidence currently points to MS being caused by a combination of Epstein-Barr infection and genetic factors [0,1]. It is hypothesized that Epstein-Barr triggers autoimmunity which results in the prototypical demyelination [2].
MS sucks. There’s varying degrees, though. I know folks that have it now, and ones that died from it.
Some of the treatments aren’t very nice. I knew one chap that was on Interferon, for life.
throwawaymsjs 2 hours ago [-]
The modern treatments are much more effective than anybody had expected, Ocrecus went from something used in the last resort to standard care in less than a decade. I have no issue with it whatsoever though that’s not the case for everyone, and it’s now available as a 6 month injection rather than a 8+ hour infusion thankfully. The older drugs were unbelievably bad (blindness, infection, you name it), but Ocrecus has been very tame in comparison. Can’t get vaccinated for Measles (and have 0 immunity) but that’s my only limitation really.
SmellTheGlove 1 hours ago [-]
Glad to hear Ocrecus is working for you! My wife was diagnosed last year and has been on Tysabri for about 6 months. So far, so good. Having to go in for a monthly infusion isn’t something she loves, but zero side effects as of yet. Thankfully it’s a 1 hour infusion not 8.
Mezzie 1 hours ago [-]
I was on Tysabri for a while and I always felt the infusion time was a bit calming. Forced me to step out of life and relax a little bit.
peacechance 37 minutes ago [-]
[dead]
Rendered at 16:46:41 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.
AstraZeneca is doing some really interesting research in this area - cell therapies that reset the immune system to eliminate the dysfunctional cells driving autoimmune disease, and then allow a healthy immune system to rebuild (for diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis).
There are already clinics where they basically remove your immune system and give you a new one. If you don’t die in the process, you are likely to be cured of MS.
(Any existing damage will remain.)
Currently this is reserved for the most quickly progressing cases but if we can make this safer and cheaper, it might in future be applied as an early stage cure, so people can go on to live healthy lives.
That being said, Astra Zenecas approach does seem much safer, if it’s proven to be effective!
My mom passed from leukemia years ago. Or rather, from an infection as she was starting HSCT. I’m sure it’s safer than it was 30 years ago, but being without an immune system for a period of time really is still a last resort.
Of side effects of the process, or of opportunistic diseases during the transition?
A close family member suffers from MS and is on the more effective but less safe drugs available. They haven’t suffered a relapse since starting them four years ago, but they have been hospitalised twice as a result of side effects.
As we learn more about the relationship between the immune system and various seemingly unrelated diseases the research and understanding has massively increased over the last few years. I’m cautiously optimistic that better treatments aren’t far away. An ancestor was lobotomised for hysteria in the 1960s, before being diagnosed with MS.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04602390
[0]: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj8222
[1]: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2424986122
[2]: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04432-7
MS sucks. There’s varying degrees, though. I know folks that have it now, and ones that died from it.
Some of the treatments aren’t very nice. I knew one chap that was on Interferon, for life.