EDMONTON - Increasing steroids in the brains of multiple sclerosis patients may regress and possibly even cure the disease, researchers at the University of Alberta said Wednesday.

"We discovered that the genes that were responsible for making neurosteroids were suppressed (in MS patients)," said Dr. Chris Power, neurologist and researcher at the U of A.

MS attacks the brain and spinal cord, causing inflammation and damage that can lead to paralysis and sometimes blindness.

Neurosteroids allow brain cells to communicate, as well as enable repair and re-growth of cells.

Researchers studied the brains of people who had died from multiple sclerosis and found they showed lower levels of neurosteroids.

Power says by replacing neurosteroids, they may be able to prevent and regress the disease, based on test tube results and examining the effects on lab mice.

"We found we could prevent the disease with this one particular neurosteroid. That was pretty exciting. We went from the so called 'bench' to a potential treatment for MS and that doesn't happen very often in your career."

Neurosteroids are made of cholesterol, which Power said should mean few or no side effects.

Instead of daily injections, researchers say the treatment should be able to be taken orally.

The treatment will potentially help patients like Jeff Junod, 41, who was diagnosed with MS in December 2007.

Junod says a year of excruciating back pain, eventually led to an MRI scan.

It turned up nothing, but still not convinced, his doctor sent him for an additional scan at University hospital.

He was seen by Power, who would eventually diagnose him as having MS.

"(It was) life altering. What now, why, who, how. A little bit of that and then it was now what. Let's move forward."

Eventually Junod would be back playing hockey and back at work, although he admits neither are at the capacity he'd like.

"I used to be quite physical. The frustrating part is not being able to do things that you used to do," he said, adding that he's gone from labour-intensive work to helping out in the office.

Power is optimistic that the treatment will be able to help patients like Junod, one of thousands in Alberta fighting the disease.

Patients are encouraged to ask their neurologist about the treatment.

A clinical trial is in the works, but no time frame has been set.

The project was funded without money from pharmaceutical companies. Instead, funding was split between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alberta Health Innovates and the MS Society of Canada.

allison.salz@sunmedia.ca

@SUNAllisonSalz

Here's Hoping!!!

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/22/university-of-alberta-discovers-ms-breakthrough