... this is actually a new drug tried out on ALS patients which have had amazing results for some of the people in the trial. It is called NP 001 and is a immune modulator.
quote:Caniggia said... Do you believe that it might be infections where the body might not create antibodies is the problem of the progress in ALS?
July 9, 2011 11:40 AM ENV said... I believe that an immune response stuck in the first mode (attack) in the areas of the brain affected is the major source of progression (taking over from whatever initiated the response). Normally in the case of external pathogen or injury, the immune system destroys the invading organisms and cleans up any damaged tissue, then switches to a mode in which healing and regeneration is promoted. In ALS (and AD, PD, HD, etc.) it appears that the immune response is stuck in the first mode. After a while this begins to damage the surrounding otherwise healthy host tissue, and the cycle feeds back into itself. As for what started the cycle is anyone's guess. If the initiator is transient (meaning it appears then leaves or is destroyed) it could be very difficult or impossible to find. In the vast majority of ALS the disease is already well underway before the patient notices any symptoms.
As discussed before in http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/diagnosis/cheneyis.html there are TH1 and TH2 regulators. In ALS it is assumed that the response has locked itself in a certain state. In Lyme on the other hand it might just be downregulated a lot and not locked. Hopefully something good can come out of this drug for everyone with neurological issues.