Collaboration for PET Imaging Agent Research in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

The US National Multiple Sclerosis Society (New York, NY, USA) has entered into a research collaboration agreement with GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK) through Fast Forward, a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to co-fund a clinical study with the GE investigational PET imaging agent, GE180, in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The clinical study, which will be enrolling patients in the United Kingdom, has an objective to help physicians determine whether imaging neuroinflammation in MS patients before and after treatment with natalizumab (Tysabri) can help identify which patients may respond to treatment.

“We are pleased to partner with GE Healthcare in the investigation of this innovative imaging technology for MS,” said Timothy Coetzee, Ph.D., chief research officer of the National MS Society. “This partnership with GE Healthcare reflects our commitment to developing new tools and technologies and supporting treatment decisions in collaboration with people coping with MS. We believe that these types of innovative programs are critical to improving quality of life and may ultimately help us to understand how different therapies are working.”

The immune system damages and destroys myelin in patients with MS, the material that surrounds and protects nerve fibers, in the spinal cord and brain. Research is showing that microglia, a type of immune cell in the brain and spinal cord, becomes active early in MS, and contributes to MS attacks. GE180 attaches to a molecule on the surface of microglia that is known to be more active following inflammation. A PET scan with GE180 may be shown to be suitable for assessing responses to disease-modifying therapies in MS. Furthermore, this technology may help in identifying inflammation in progressive forms of MS.

GE Healthcare has taken a comprehensive approach to understanding a variety of neurologic disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, concussion, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis through its ongoing research. GE Healthcare is working collaboratively with industry partners and the pharmaceutical industry to assist in their development of the next generation of therapies for these disorders, by providing imaging support for clinical trials of therapeutic agents.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS. To fulfill this goal, the Society funds breakthrough research, fuels change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations worldwide, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.

Fast Forward, LLC was established by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as part of a comprehensive approach to MS research and treatment, focusing on accelerating commercial development of promising research discoveries. Through Fast Forward, the Society connects university-based MS research with private-sector drug development and funds small biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies to develop innovative new MS therapies and repurpose US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs as new treatments for MS.

Related Links:
US National Multiple Sclerosis Society
GE Healthcare
Fast Forward