We know MS and all forms of neurological and inflammatory disease represent BIG money. Over the past 15 months, we’ve tracked on this Facebook page and many other sites the money trail. Beginning with the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry, to the large organizations entrenched in the status quo, changing the face of how we view and possibly treat MS has caused ripples of discontent and, sometimes, disrespect for this patient community. We’ve been accused of chasing snake oil and bee stings and threatening to put entire health and economic systems in jeopardy. In fact, many feel it’s precisely pressure from that conglomerate of interests that has slowed an early embrace of Dr. Zamboni’s theories of neurovascular disease and its connections to MS.

So, it was with quiet delight that I saw this patent application from a “P Zamboni” cross my desk this morning. Could Dr. Z be placing his foothold on history and changing forever the way MS is diagnosed, right under the noses of ruffled political, health, and drug company sectors? You bet he is!

Filed on February 26, 2008 and only recently published (January 13, 2011) from Ferrara. Italy, this application strives to patent any diagnosis of multiple sclerosis using transcranial and echo Doppler examinations. This patent claims adding ultrasound with Zamboni’s specific protocols to current diagnostic tests would accurately and quickly establish whether a person is at risk of developing MS. Patent your way into the history books, Dr. Zamboni, you deserve it.

This application is so full of exciting tidbits and glimpses into Dr. Zamboni’s theories; I encourage you to read through all the legalese. I pulled out just a few quotations -- please comment and post what else you find hidden throughout this treasure!

~Sandra

Link to patent application: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2011/0009749.html

Selected excerpts [my thoughts in square brackets]:

~ “The need is therefore felt for improved solutions enabling as early as possible reliable detection of possible development of MS.”

~ although the relationship between the venous system and MS lesions seems to be proved, the inventors have noted that to date no information on intracranial venous haemodynamics nor on extracranial venous obstructive malformations has been made available in MS patients. [We’re working on that, Dr. Z]

-> [Dr. Z addresses his critics and studied another, older healthy control group, old enough for any MS and disease to have shown up during their lifetimes, in order to establish CCSVI as a factor in the MS disease process] “For greater certainty, the inventors selected a second control population that was older than the average age of European MS patients, according to censuses in recent epidemiological studies (72 healthy aged subjects). Had the venous obstruction been present in this group, the inventors would not have been able to maintain that they have a role in the pathogenesis of MS, given that this control group had never had any neurological manifestations, nor other important diseases.”

-> “This finding would indicate that in no other disease of the nervous system can this chronically obstructed venous drainage be observed, not even in other pathologies that, like MS, present neurodegenerative, neuroimmunitary, and neurovascular aspects.” [wow, what about ALS, etc.? Sounds like Dr. Z is, for this patent, restricting CCSVI to MS]

-> [CCSVI is there, even if you‘re on the drugs] “The present disclosure also shows that within the MS group of patients pharmacologically treated with immunomodulating and/or immunosuppressive drugs (particularly with respect to RR-SP group) the obstructive malformations are not reduced as compared to the non-treated patients.”

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=491068402733&id=182832983940