STATUS: Research Stage | CNS-Penetrant Oral Inflammasome Inhibition [CALL OUT BOX]
Multiple Sclerosis is a disabling autoimmune disease of the central nervous system affecting approximately 900,000 people in the US, three times more common in women, and usually diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 55. It involves immune-mediated destruction of the myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, and its causes are associated with smoking, Epstein-Barr viral infection, other autoimmune diseases, and heredity. Inflammasome activation is recognized as being pathogenic in MS: caspase-1, IL-1beta, and IL-18 are elevated in peripheral monocytes, CSF, and serum of patients with MS and increase further during or immediately preceding disease flare-ups. These inflammatory markers are predictive of clinical progression, while in animal models their inhibition prevents disease progression. The 2018 global MS market exceeded $20 billion, with sales expected to reach over $25 billion by 2026.