Researchers at Mount Sinai’s Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis played a key role in developing a potential breakthrough treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to findings that were presented in October 2015 at the meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS in Barcelona, Spain. The Center also recently received funding to lead a new international coalition tasked with developing a strategy for diagnosing progressive MS earlier. Both efforts further strengthen Mount Sinai’s reputation as a worldwide leader in MS research.
“To date, there has been no approved treatment for progressive MS, the most debilitating form of the disease,” says Fred D. Lublin, MD, Saunders Family Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Center.
MS is a complicated, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that can affect any part of the body as it disrupts the flow of information within the brain and spinal cord, and between the brain and body.
Mount Sinai’s Center was a trial site in the first pivotal Phase 3 study to show efficacy in treating primary progressive MS with a monoclonal antibody, ocrelizumab, which significantly reduced the rate of disability accrual in study participants. Dr. Lublin was a member of the steering committee that designed and monitored the study. He is also the principal investigator of the international coalition project, which will test potential clinical, MRI, and biomarker predictors for the disease.
These are exciting developments for Mount Sinai clinicians and scientists who previously helped advance new treatments for relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the disease. Those efforts included the development of the first oral disease-modifying drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as higher-potency infusions to reduce relapses and delay disability progression.
Today, researchers have robust funding in a number of key areas, which include:
- Preventing inflammatory cells and antibodies from entering the central nervous system during disease relapse to limit risk of permanent damage to the brain and spinal cord, led by Gareth John, PhD, Professor of Neurology, and head of the Center’s MS Research Laboratory.
- Discerning the role of intestinal microbiota in the onset and course of MS, led by Patrizia Casaccia, MD, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Neuroscience, and Neurology; Ilana Katz-Sand, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology; and Matilde Inglese, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Radiology.
- Exploring the safety and feasibility of using a powered exoskeleton to assist in walking, led by Michelle Fabian, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology.
The Center, created in 2001, was one of the first in the nation to be certified as a comprehensive MS care facility by the National MS Society. In addition to Dr. Lublin and Aaron E. Miller, MD, Medical Director and Professor of Neurology, the Center includes four neurologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, fellows, and a clinical trial coordinating staff. Noted neuropsychologist James Sumowski, PhD, will join the team this spring. The Center is renowned for its programs in diagnostics, disease management, specialized support services, and education.
In 2015, the Center established satellite offices in two locations: Mount Sinai West, headed by Sylvia Klineova, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology; and Mount Sinai Beth Israel, led by Dr. Fabian.
Says Dr. Lublin: “We can do so much more for people now. We can offer them individualized care and a much better outlook on the future.”
To learn more, visit www.mountsinai.org/ms.