summary: This interesting retrospective, blinded MRI study reports the analysis following a recent trial involving BHT-3009, a DNA plasmid-encoding myelin basic protein (MBP) that aims to reprogram the immune system to induce immunological tolerance to myelin antigens, in patients with MS. The authors were interested in assessing whether treatment reduces the risk of new lesions becoming persistent black holes (PBH), which are thought to be associated with disability progression in MS.

Although there was no impact of treatment on the risk for PBH overall, patients receiving a lower dose (0.5 mg) BHT-3009 showed a reduced risk of PBH in the presence of higher serum anti-MBP IgM antibody levels compared to placebo (p < 0.01). The authors therefore suggest that there may be an effect of low-dose BHT-3009, depending on the patients' pre-treatment immune responses.

authors: Papadopoulou A, von Felten S, Traud S, Rahman A, Quan J, King R, Garren H, Steinman L, Cutter G, Kappos L, Radue EW.

source: J Neurol. 2012 Jan 6. [Epub ahead of print]

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