You may want to first look into oral tolerization/desensitization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (or peptide fragments thereof) or other possible self-antigens associated with MS. IIRC the data for oral tolerization has not held-up well in human trials, but if you’re looking for a Yudkowsky-style inadequate equilibria solution then it might be worth attempting a very steep dose escalation of a variety of antigens (or all you can find). This approach, at face value, seems that it would be less risky than helminth inoculation.
Another approach or fallback to consider preparing for is banking a stock of very pure haemopoietic stem-cells (HSCs) for a possible Immunoablation and subsequent transplantation (see, e.g., Atkins et al. Immunoablation and autologous haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation for aggressive multiple sclerosis: a multicentre single-group phase 2 trial. Lancet. 2016 Aug 6;388(10044):576-85.). I have not followed-up on the Atkins study or looked at it in several years, but I’d imagine that isolating HSCs from the patient at an earliest low/non-symptomatic phase of the disease (or prior to possible disease as in your case) would decrease the chances of contamination with autoreactive immune cells.
While you are performing your literature review, keep in mind that animal models of MS (such as EAE) are very deficient in their predictive capacity (even much more so than its reference class of autoinflammatory/autoimmune animal models).
Thanks! I’ll look into both those options. I’m also curious about stem cell transplantation for my sister. Speaking of animal models- I assume your point about animals is they are not always predictive the drug and treatment effectiveness in humans, but I’m curious to know what you think of the viral-onset hypothesis inspired by observations in monkeys. It’s referenced on the OHSU research web site and I was planning to read more about it.
You may want to first look into oral tolerization/desensitization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (or peptide fragments thereof) or other possible self-antigens associated with MS. IIRC the data for oral tolerization has not held-up well in human trials, but if you’re looking for a Yudkowsky-style inadequate equilibria solution then it might be worth attempting a very steep dose escalation of a variety of antigens (or all you can find). This approach, at face value, seems that it would be less risky than helminth inoculation.
Another approach or fallback to consider preparing for is banking a stock of very pure haemopoietic stem-cells (HSCs) for a possible Immunoablation and subsequent transplantation (see, e.g., Atkins et al. Immunoablation and autologous haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation for aggressive multiple sclerosis: a multicentre single-group phase 2 trial. Lancet. 2016 Aug 6;388(10044):576-85.). I have not followed-up on the Atkins study or looked at it in several years, but I’d imagine that isolating HSCs from the patient at an earliest low/non-symptomatic phase of the disease (or prior to possible disease as in your case) would decrease the chances of contamination with autoreactive immune cells.
While you are performing your literature review, keep in mind that animal models of MS (such as EAE) are very deficient in their predictive capacity (even much more so than its reference class of autoinflammatory/autoimmune animal models).
Thanks! I’ll look into both those options. I’m also curious about stem cell transplantation for my sister. Speaking of animal models- I assume your point about animals is they are not always predictive the drug and treatment effectiveness in humans, but I’m curious to know what you think of the viral-onset hypothesis inspired by observations in monkeys. It’s referenced on the OHSU research web site and I was planning to read more about it.