Understanding of immunology was enhanced as doctors learned to prevent the immune system from rejecting transplanted organs. Intensive studies of EAE further linked MS to the part of the immune system that makes tissues compatible with each other.
In 1978, the first CAT scans were performed on people with MS. And, in 1979, a Nobel prize was awarded for development of this powerful new tool. CAT scans use a computer to link a circular array of x-ray images to create detailed pictures of the human brain. The diagnosis of MS was further improved with the introduction of tests called “evoked potentials” which measure nerve conduction.

Scientific research began to yield direct therapeutic dividends as well. Steroids to suppress immune activity were now widely used to treat MS attacks, and the first small studies were performed using interferons, substances that modulate the immune system. The first studies of beta interferon for MS began at the end of the 1970s.

In 1970, scientists studying EAE in lab animals suspected that some myelin protein fragments prevented the disease and actually seemed to protect the animals. Spurred by this finding, they synthesized a mix of protein fragments and used it to treat first animals and then humans with MS. The product was named copolymer 1 and is today an approved disease-modifying therapy under the name Copaxone.

Reference

Written by Loren A. Rolak, MD. Reproduced by permission from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, USA. © NMSS, 2003