Leading MS/PML experts recommend genetic testing to prevent fatal brain infection

Experts argue preventative screening should become new standard of care

2023-03-16

(Press-News.org) In an editorial in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, two leading multiple sclerosis (MS) experts are advocating for genetic testing to identify MS patients who are at higher risk of developing a devastating side effect from their medications.

People with MS are faced with the excruciating decision of whether they should take medications that are effective in slowing the progression of the disease, but may also trigger this potentially fatal complication, a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

The two authorities, Joseph Berger, MD, and Hans-Peter Hartung, MD, write, “The availability of a simple, relatively inexpensive test that can identify the genes that put one at risk for PML would be enormously helpful in the management of patients. The widespread use of such testing could potentially allow the physician to use alternative therapies that do not carry the same risk of PML.”

Dr. Berger is MS Division Chief at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and Dr. Hartung is Neurology Chair of Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany and a Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Neurology.

The editorial was written in support of a recently published study that confirmed a strong link between four genetic mutations and PML. The original study, also published in Frontiers in Neurology, found that these four variants were far more common among patients who took PML-linked drugs and developed PML than patients who took those drugs and did not develop PML. Neither of the editorial authors were affiliated with the original study.

PML Patient and Tysabri Inventor Support Genetic Testing

"Preventative screening for these variants should become part of the standard of care,” said Dr. Lawrence Steinman, whose lab developed Tysabri, a breakthrough MS treatment that carries a Black Box Warning for PML. And when Franklin Jordan, 58, a PML survivor who developed the side-effect after taking Tysabri, learned about the availability of the genetic test, he said, “I would have taken the test in a minute. If I knew I was positive, I wouldn’t have taken Tysabri.”

It is expected that preventative screening will become a routine part of patient care, as recommended by Drs. Berger, Hartung, and Steinman. But to fill the immediate need, the PML Foundation is currently offering a free test online. Simpler than a COVID swab, the at-home saliva test is processed in a CLIA-certified lab by PreventionGenetics, a leader in the field for almost 20 years. The free test is available at pmlrisktest.org.

PML is caused by the JC virus, which is very common but remains dormant in the vast majority of carriers. However, certain immune-modifying drugs, including those used to treat MS, have been found to induce PML in rare cases.

Many MS medications currently carry a PML warning, including Tysabri, Ocrevus, and Rituxan, as well as Gilenya, Kesimpta, Mavenclad, Mayzent, Ponvory, and Tecfidera. But it’s not just MS drugs that can lead to PML; medications widely prescribed for blood cancers and organ transplants, as well as autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis also include PML warnings on their drug labels.

Drug-induced PML is on the rise as more powerful immunosuppressant therapies are developed. Since 2011, drug-induced PML cases reported to the FDA have more than doubled. And in 2022 alone, there were nearly 600 cases in the FDA’s adverse event reporting system. In that database, over 70 drugs have been linked to PML.

Link to editorial: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1146027/full

doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1146027

The original study was funded by Emerald Lake Safety LLC and Population Bio Inc.

About Emerald Lake Safety

Emerald Lake Safety (ELS) conducts research into the mechanisms behind Serious Adverse Events associated with marketed pharmaceuticals. We conduct clinical and genomic research both on our own and in conjunction with leading academics and scientists from around the world. For more information visit www.emeraldlakesafety.com.

About Population Bio

Population Bio is a precision medicine company with a mission to make pharmaceuticals safer and more effective. By discovering disease-relevant genetic biomarkers, Population Bio helps develop targeted therapies and companion diagnostics faster and more cost effectively. Population Bio’s patented technology platform is currently addressing complex neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Autism, as well as women’s health conditions such as Endometriosis. For more information, visit www.populationbio.com.

Press Contact:

Amy Losak
917-520-1207
losak@optonline.net

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Protein engineers navigate toward more targeted therapeutics

2023-03-16

More than a third of FDA-approved drugs work by targeting a G protein-coupled receptor, or GPCR. The human body has more than 800 types of GPCRs that provide cells with information about the external environment to calibrate responses. Drugs that either block or activate GPCRs are used to treat a wide range of diseases including hypertension, pain and inflammation. Most drugs bind to the outside of the receptor, but this can result in adverse side effects since receptors often resemble one another. In a new study published in Nature, Sivaraj Sivaramakrishnan, a professor in the College of Biological ...

Antibody fragment-nanoparticle therapeutic eradicates cancer

2023-03-16

ITHACA, N.Y. -- A novel cancer therapeutic, combining antibody fragments with molecularly engineered nanoparticles, permanently eradicated gastric cancer in treated mice, a multi-institutional team of researchers found. The results of the “hit and run” drug delivery system, published in the March issue of Advanced Therapeutics, were the culmination of more than five years of collaboration between Cornell, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. “I’ve seen beautiful ...

Childhood volunteering encourages future voting in elections, study shows

2023-03-16

Childhood volunteering encourages those from politically disengaged homes to go on and vote when they are older, a major new study shows. Community action leads to them becoming more interested in politics and to see voting as a duty, according to the research. However volunteering didn’t have the same impact for most children, so it shouldn’t be seen as the answer to falling voter numbers. The research was carried out by Dr Stuart Fox, now at the University of Exeter and conducted while he worked at Brunel University. He used the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Survey and structural equation modelling to examine ...

Extinct animals on islands cannot be replaced

2023-03-16

Lush plants, large trees and many different, beautiful and colorful exotic animals. This is probably how most people imagine the small island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. But that may not be the case. As in several other places in the world, the island and its nature are at risk of mass extinction, and in just a decade or two the flourishing nature and the many diverse animals may have dwindled to very few. At least if the extinction of the many plants and animals on the island continues. They are part of a particularly sensitive ...

DNA treatment could delay paralysis that strikes nearly all patients with ALS

2023-03-16

In virtually all persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in up to half of all cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia, a protein called TDP-43 is lost from its normal location in the nucleus of the cell. In turn, this triggers the loss of stathmin-2, a protein crucial to regeneration of neurons and the maintenance of their connections to muscle fibers, essential to contraction and movement. Writing in the March 16, 2023 issue of Science, a team of scientists, led by senior study author Don Cleveland, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Neurosciences and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at University ...

Loss of Menin helps drive the aging process, and dietary supplement can reverse it in mice

2023-03-16

Decline in the hypothalamic Menin may play a key role in aging, according to a new study publishing March 16th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Lige Leng of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China, and colleagues. The findings reveal a previously unknown driver of physiological aging, and suggest that supplementation with a simple amino acid may mitigate some age-related changes. The hypothalamus has been recognized as a key mediator of physiological aging, through an increase in the process ...

Dana-Farber researchers chart a course for understanding, preventing, and treating young-onset colorectal cancer

2023-03-16

Colorectal cancer among young people is increasing globally and rapidly. Experts expect it to become the leading cause of cancer death in individuals aged 20-49 in the U.S. by the year 2030. Yet no one is certain why this disease is suddenly affecting so many young people. In a new paper published in Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers outline the complexities of the disease and the research needed to map out a path toward understanding it. “The rising incidence of young-onset colorectal cancer is extremely concerning, and it is urgent that the scientific community comes together to better understand the underlying ...

Hidden signals play a vital role in evolution of warning coloration in amphibians

2023-03-16

New findings help answer a particularly vexing evolutionary question: how do species that use bright coloration to keep predators away survive long enough for this warning signal coloration to evolve, before predators who can better spot them through their colors learn to avoid them? A study comparing a series of models points to warning color signaling, or aposematism, likely appearing through intermediate steps where coloration is only visible when an organism is fleeing or intentionally displaying a hidden feature. Evolutionary selection to avoid being eaten by predators has driven considerable variation in the diversity of animal ...

Common gut bacterium exploits Rho factor phase separation to colonize the mammalian gut

2023-03-16

The common commensal gut bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron uses phase separation of the transcription termination factor Rho to colonize and thrive in the mammalian gut, according to a new study in mice. The findings suggest that phase separation may also be vital for other important gut microbes and relevant for novel microbiome-based clinical applications. The gut microbiota plays a critical role in human health. Manipulating gut commensal communities could provide promising therapeutic pathways for treating a host of diseases. However, this goal requires understanding mechanisms that enable ...

Lessons from China’s coal strategy can inform environmental cooperation

2023-03-16

In 2021, China unilaterally announced that it would stop building new coal-fueled power plants overseas, which was lauded as an important climate milestone. However, this decision stands in contrast to the nation’s continued support for the domestic use of coal plants. In a Policy Forum, Christoph Nedopil discusses this dichotomy and provides new insights into how these decisions were made. According to Nedopil, the findings could inform efforts to improve environmental cooperation with China. China has become the world’s greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and its international influence through trade, ...

Leading MS/PML experts recommend genetic testing to prevent fatal brain infection

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: