Two years ago, Dr. Steven Petratos had spoken to SBS Greek about the groundbreaking research they have been undertaking with his team at Monash University working on a drug that could potentially treat Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and even reverse the effects of the disease.
"This drug is an older drug that was used in a rare genetic condition so it has already been used in humans and has shown to be safe to humans.
"There are some minor side effects with high dose but we have minimized these with the dosage that we propose to give to MS patients," Dr. Petratos says.
Pending further research, funding the team could be moving on the clinical trial stage within the next few years.
"What we are currently doing is validating this dose to show that it has the appropriate biological effect and we’ll be able to prove this hopefully within the next 3 years."
The disease is estimated to affect around 2.5 million people worldwide and more than 25,000 in Australia.
"MS degenerates myelin, which is essentially the covering of nerve fibres and this is what causes all the symptoms to MS patients.
"By repairing that covering we can enhance each individual’s functions on a daily basis. And that’s hopefully the outcome and can be a very valid option for neurologists to treat patients."
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