Remote Ischemic Preconditioning to Promote Central Nervous System Remyelination
Year Awarded: 2022
Term: 1 years, 11 months
Funding Amount: $50,000
Affiliation(s): University of Calgary
Province(s): Alberta
Researcher(s): Dr. Carlos Camara-Lemarroy
Impact Goal(s): Understand and Halt Disease Progression
Summary:
- There is an unmet need for effective and safe interventions to promote remyelination in MS.
- Remote ischemic preconditioning (REIP) is a non-pharmacologic intervention that has been shown to be neuroprotective in pre-clinical and clinical studies of central nervous system injury. It consists of blocking blood flow of a limb (arm or leg) for short periods of time which tricks the body into producing substances that could help with remyelination and repair, including immune factors, growth factors or tissue protective factors.
- Using a mouse model of demyelination, Dr. Camara-Lemarroy will assess if REIP can promote remyelination in spinal cord lesions as well as accelerate the remyelination and repair process. If found to be effective, REIP could be a safe and inexpensive intervention that can be tested in people with MS through clinical trials.
Project Description:
Remyelination is an exciting potential approach to treating MS that may restore neuronal function and prevent further clinical disability. There is an unmet need for effective and safe interventions that promote remyelination in MS. Dr. Camara-Lemarroy aims to examine whether remote ischemic preconditioning (REIP) promotes remyelination by targeting multiple factors involved in repair and remyelination. REIP is a non-pharmacologic intervention that has been shown to be neuroprotective in pre-clinical and clinical studies of central nervous system injury. It has already been deemed safe and tolerable in humans. REIP works by blocking the blood flow of a limb (an arm or leg) for short periods of time using a blood pressure cuff which tricks the body into producing substances, such as immune factors, growth factors or tissue protective factors, that could be helpful in promoting remyelination. As part of this research study, REIP will be applied to mice injected with a chemical called lysolecithin to induce demyelination in the central nervous system. The researchers will also assess if REIP can promote remyelination of spinal cord lesions in a mouse model of demyelination, as well as accelerate the remyelination and repair process.
Potential Impact:
If found to be effective at promoting remyelination in animal models and ultimately, humans, REIP could be a safe, inexpensive, non-pharmacologic intervention for people living with MS.
Project Status: Ongoing
