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December 18, 2002
CELEBREX WORKS WELL IN ALS
MOUSE MODELS
A commonly-used drug for arthritis may be of benefit to ALS patients,
if first-stage animal studies are any sign. In an article in this month's
Annals of Neurology, scientists with Johns Hopkins and with the Robert
Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins report that the drug
Celebrex significantly delayed the onset of weakness and weight loss in
mouse models of the disease. As important, the drug increased the animals'
life span by 25 percent.
"We've also shown that, at this dosage, Celebrex does its work in precisely
the place you'd want it to: in the animals' spinal cords and brains,"
says Packard Center director, Jeffrey Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D., senior author
of the report. In the near future, adds Daniel Drachman, M.D., who led
the research team, "We hope it may become part of a new, multi-therapy
approach to the disease in humans."
Whether used for human arthritis or for ALS, the principle behind Celebrex
is the same: it inhibits a key enzyme, called COX-2, that's part of the
body's inflammatory and other pathways.
In ALS, three destructive processes play a strong part in the downward
spiral of patients' motor neurons. The first, excitotoxicity, refers to
an excess of the nerve transmitter glutamate, which overstimulates neurons,
causing harm. The second is the production of toxic free radical molecules
and the third is inflammation. The inspiration for the study came when
Drachman realized Celebrex could, in theory, damp down all three.
The researchers gave Celebrex-laced chow to mouse models of ALS and followed
their progress by monitoring motor function, weight and general activity.
At intervals, the scientists also examined and analyzed animal tissues,
comparing the drug-fed mice with model mice that didn't get Celebrex.
"The treated mice had a notable delay in symptom onset," says Rothstein,
"and lived significantly longer as well." No human treatment, so far,
has extended life span as dramatically as did Celebrex in the model mice.
"The availability of potent COX-2 inhibitors that readily reach target
tissues and that are generally safe to take has led us to undertake a
multicenter human trial," says Drachman, "using high-doses in ALS patients."
more
Recent News
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| Recent news from the Robert Packard Center
for ALS Research: |
| Packard Center Welcomes Its First Dedicated Science Director - July 30, 3008 |
| In ALS, It’s Not the Number of Ailing Astrocytes That Counts - June 12, 2008 |
| Leaky Blood Vessels Add To ALS Damage, Could Offer New Repair Site - June 10, 2008 |
| William H. Adams Foundation Pumps New Energy, Funds into Search for ALS Cure - May 6, 2008 |
| Tell-Tale Protein Clumping in ALS is Less Complex Than Expected - April 10, 2008 |
ALS Mouse Study Highlights Astrocytes' Strong Potential as Therapy Target - February 7, 2008 |
| Exciting New Human ALS Trial: Lithium and Riluzole - February 7, 2008 |
| ALS Treatment: A Matter of Cleaning House? - December 19, 2007 |
New Study Brings What Goes Wrong in Inherited ALS into Focus - September 18, 2007 |
| New ALS Protein Could Be a Keystone - August 9, 2007 |
| Muscles More Than Passive Victims in ALS, Study Suggests - June 29, 2007 |
| Saer and O’Neill Named Packard Center Board Co-Chairs - June 28, 2007 |
Self-Attack? Self-Repair? First Real Look at Gene Activity in ALS Models Sparks Thirst for Answers - May 3, 2007 |
| Model of Accelerated Familial ALS Sheds Light on Disease Process - April 6, 2007 |
| Early News From First Large Search for Sporadic ALS Genes - February 20, 2007 |
| Human Stem Cell Transplants Mature Into Neurons and Make Contacts in Rat Spinal Cord - February 14, 2007 |
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