Two decades ago, multiple sclerosis researchers like the University of Cambridge’s, Robin Franklin, PhD, understood the crucial role of regeneration of the myelin coating on nerve fibers, and they knew the process went awry in MS patients. But, he recalled, “we knew very little about how remyelination came about and the processes that orchestrated it.”
Now, thanks in part to the work of Dr. Franklin’s team, research into remyelination is making tremendous advances. “We’ve begun to understand the mechanisms that are operating, and that is fundamental to devising new therapies,” he said in an interview. “You don’t develop effective new therapies unless you understand the underlying biology. Now, we’re on the brink of that biology leading to regenerative medicine in MS.”
Dr. Robin Franklin
Dr. Franklin is the winner of the international prize, which recognizes exceptional MS research and is administered by the National MS Society.
In recent years, Dr. Franklin and his colleagues have published multiple studies that reveal new details about the workings of myelin regeneration, especially the biology by which oligodendrocyte progenitor cells become new oligodendrocytes.
“There are simple steps in that process,” Dr. Franklin said. “What we’ve been able to do is decorate that simple model with a whole host of mechanisms that allow remyelination to take place.”
In 2011, Franklin and his colleagues published a study in rodents identifying the RXRg gene as a key promoter of remyelination, making it a potential target for therapy (Nat Neurosci. 2011;14:45-53).
“There’s still a lot more to be learned,” Dr. Franklin said, “but we’ve learned a sufficient amount that we can engage in a meaningful way with the pharmaceutical industry and MS clinicians to make regenerative medicines an effective component of the MS therapeutic armory.”
Dr. Franklin has no relevant disclosures.