The new data show that monthly NeuroVax injections during a one-year period increased FOXP3, a gene marker recently shown to track regulatory T-cells, and improve Treg cell functional activity in patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Recently published research indicates that FOXP3, known to be associated with maintaining immune tolerance and regulation of autoimmune diseases, is significantly reduced in patients with MS compared to healthy individuals. The present data shows NeuroVax has the potential to raise levels of FOXP3 to an amount comparable to that of healthy controls.
The preliminary results were based on the nine NeuroVax treated patients who have completed the 52-week study. Patients were analyzed at baseline and at 52 weeks, and were compared to a group of gender and age-matched healthy controls.
It is hypothesized that autoimmune diseases such as MS may result from the failure of tolerance mechanisms to prevent expansion of pathogenic inflammatory T-cells. Diminished FOXP3 levels indicate impaired immunoregulation by Treg cells that may contribute to MS. Immune Response believes that induction of these Treg cells is important to the mechanism of action for NeuroVax. The new data directly indicates for the first time that treatment with NeuroVax does stimulate FOXP3 Treg cells.
MS is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks normal tissues of the central nervous system. According to Immune Response it afflicts approximately 400,000 people in the US and more than 2.5 million worldwide. The disease is largely caused by activation of a specific subset of the patient’s own white blood cells, pathogenic T-cells, which then attack myelin and are largely responsible for disease progression.
Shares in Immune Response rose 5.4% following the release of this preliminary data.