MRC Centre for Reproductive Health researchers unlock key to boosting brain repair

A team of scientists at MRC Centre for Reproductive Health in Edinburgh have uncovered a molecule in the brain fundamental in repairing the damage that happens in multiple sclerosis (MS).

They are now really hopeful this will lead to the development of new treatments.

At the moment no drugs are able to repair myelin – the protective coating that covers nerves and gets damaged in MS. The researchers have found a receptor in the brain and spinal cord that, when activated, encourages cells to repair myelin.

The research was carried out by Dr Veronique Miron and her team at MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh and was co-funded by the MS Society and the Medical Research Council.

These findings build on the team’s previous discovery of protein called activin-A. While they knew the molecule was important in repairing myelin, this new research explains exactly how it promotes the process. By investigating levels of myelin production in mice and people with MS, they discovered that activin-A binds to a specific receptor found on myelin-making cells – called ‘activin receptor 2a’ or ‘Acvr2a’ – causing them to switch on at the site of injury.

MS is an unpredictable and progressive condition caused by the immune system attacking myelin in the brain and spinal cord. This damage causes a range of fluctuating and often painful symptoms that cause problems with how you walk, move, see, think and feel. Finding a way to repair this damage is essential in slowing and stopping MS, and this research suggests that ‘activin receptor 2’ is a fundamental target in developing new myelin repair treatments.

Dr Veronique Miron, Lecturer and Principal Investigator at MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh said: “When we first discovered this protein activin-A, we didn’t know exactly what role it played in remyelination. We now know it binds to a specific receptor, which then causes cells to carry out myelin repair.

“This is a really exciting discovery because can now focus our efforts on developing drugs that target the receptor. If we can do that, we can encourage cells to make new myelin after damage has been done in MS.”

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Director of Research at the MS Society, said:

“We’re thrilled to be supporting Dr Miron’s ground-breaking work. Many of the 100,000 people living with MS in the UK still don’t have any treatment options. Finding new targets like this receptor mean we’ll be able to develop more effective treatments and stop MS faster.”

Dr Miron’s research will also have a positive impact on reproductive health, specifically brain repair in babies.

This study has found that a protein in the brain, called activin receptor 2a (Acvr2a) is needed for myelin to be made normally in developing brains, yet is reduced in areas of brain injury in infants, contributing to the absence of myelin formed in those areas.

Dr Veronique Miron added: “Our future plans are to use this new information to identify ways to specifically target Acvr2a in order to increase the production of myelin in infants following brain injury.

“We hope this can be further developed into effective therapies to prevent or treat brain damage in affected babies, improve their quality of life by increasing mobility and independence, and reduce the incidence of cerebral palsy development (a lifelong movement disorder caused by brain damage in babies during pregnancy or birth).”

Watch Dr Veronique Miron explain the significance of her team’s discovery at https://youtu.be/pj2tHiXZ9Sw.

To find out more about MS and the research the MS Society funds go to www.mssociety.org.uk or call 0808 800 8000.