Therapeutic Exosomes for Multiple Sclerosis and Other Demyelinating Diseases

SUMMARY

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is caused by degradation of the protective myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Current MS therapies only stop the progression of this demyelination and do not promote the repair of the myelin sheath, which significantly limits their efficacy.
• The invention is a novel method for generating exosome-based therapies for the treatment of demyelinating disease, including MS. The inventors demonstrated that exosomes derived from dendritic cells can cross the blood brain barrier when delivered intranasally, relieve oxidative stress, and increase baseline myelination with no observable toxicity. 
• Therapeutic exosomes are preferentially absorbed by oligodendrocytes, the cells that myelinate central nervous system axons, and contain specific micro-RNA that are known to increase myelin formation. In vitro studies show that therapeutic exosomes can remeylinate damaged brain slice cultures.

FIGURE

ADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

• Disease modifying mechanism of action
• Ex vivo production that does not require patient cells
• Can be frozen for storage

APPLICATIONS

• Treatment of demyelinating diseases, such as MS, Alzheimer's disease, and migraine.

PUBLICATIONS

• Pusic, AD; et al. INFy-stimulated dendritic cell exosomes as a potential therapeutic for remyelination. J Neuroimmunol. 2014 Jan 15; 266 (1-2): 12-13.
• Review Article: Pusic, AD; Pusic, KM; Kraig, RP. What are exosomes and how can they be used in multiple sclerosis therapy? Expert Rev Neurother. 2014 Apr; 14(4): 353-5. 
• News Article: NIH awards University of Chicago $1.5 million to study novel therapy for multiple sclerosis. Jiang, K. UChicago News.

• For more information, watch inventor Dr. Richard Kraig talk about his work at University of Chicago Innovation Fest

• US: 10,231,997
• US patent pending: 16/259,563
• Counterparts issued in Australia and pending in EU and Canada