An NIH study found experimental drug K-9 reversed vision loss and paralysis in mice with MS-like symptoms, apparently by blocking an inflammasome linked to nerve damage. Health records suggested people taking similar antivirals were less likely to develop MS or have relapses.
K-9 is a modified version of a drug used to treat HIV. Researchers believe it prevents activation of an inflammasome, a cell-killing alarm system in the brain and spinal cord. The study also reported that K-9 protected nerve fibers and their protective coatings from damage.
Michael F. Chiang, director of NIH’s National Eye Institute, said the severe-symptom reversal in animals and K-9’s promising safety profile offered a compelling path toward human testing. Researchers hope to test the drug soon for MS and other serious nerve diseases, including ALS.
