Towards patient-tailored treatment in multiple sclerosis: a dendritic cell-based vaccine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in which the body 's own immune system attacks the myelin sheath. This leads to disruption in signaling in the brain and spinal cord and to loss of brain tissue. MS is the most common cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults. To date, many aspecific immunomodulatory and general immunosuppressive treatments are used to slow down the disease course, but these treatments have several side effects, ranging from mild to severe and life-threatening issues, including other autoimmune diseases and infections. Thus, there remains an unmet need for specific treatments with a good safety profile. Restoring antigen specific tolerance is an interesting approach to tackle these problems. Theoretically, a limited number of vaccinations with tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDC) could reeducate the patient's own immune system in the longterm. Based on our previous research in the laboratory on MS and clinical studies in other autoimmune diseases we are ready to bring tolDC treatment to MS patients. The aim of this project is to assess safety and feasibility of autologous myelin-peptide-loaded tolDC in active MS patients, who will receive 6 vaccinations in a phase I clinical trial. Safety will be evaluated by recording of adverse events. Feasibility will be determined by successful production of tolDC. Positive results can lead to clinical trials evaluating efficacy.

Keywords:MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Disciplines:Neurosciences, Biological and physiological psychology, Cognitive science and intelligent systems, Developmental psychology and ageing