Interferon beta was the first available therapy for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and is still the most commonly prescribed treatment. This therapy helps reduce relapses in MS patients.
Distinguished UCLA professor Jerome Rotter, MD, recently announced through Multiple Sclerosis News Today that Heligenics Inc.’s new technology ranks second only to next-generation sequencing. Dr. Rotter further commented that, until now, no one has been able to assess every possible gene mutation. He believes that Heligenics will be a leader in this regard, and the company is ready to significantly improve diagnostic and therapeutic elements. The professor emphasized that this is only the beginning.
About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
MS is a chronic disease that damages the nerves of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The word ‘sclerosis’ is aptly used as it means scarring. People who have MS develop many areas of scar tissue from nerve damage. Doctors typically suggest interferon betas when you have “active relapsing,” which means two or more relapses in the last 2 years.
About the New Interferon Beta Variants
Heligenics believes that the new variants show significant promise for improving first-line therapy for MS. The company reports the discovery of multiple variations of the interferon beta 1 gene. Heligenics’ GigaAssay drug development provides a foundation that rapidly assesses all genetic variants simultaneously in live human cells.
Using the new system, Heligenics was able to analyze five thousand genetic changes in the interferon beta 1 gene as well as 1,300 biosimilar sequence leads. The aforesaid biosimilars are biologic copies, and biobetters are improvements to the original biologic.
The discussion would not be complete without the mention of High Throughput Screening, which was developed in the 1980s. It is capable of testing hundreds of thousands of molecules simultaneously.
GigaAssay’s drug development platform was used. In addition to allowing Heligenics scientists to identify the functional impact of the interferon beta 1 gene, the GigaAssay platform creates a rapid assessment of all the genetic variants in a target gene.
Heligenic’s CEO, Dr. Martin Schiller, suggests that the analysis may also be able to identify certain patients who would respond to a particular interferon beta-based therapy in clinical trials. Dr. Schiller stated that the interferon beta 1 gene has immense potential to improve first-line therapy for MS.
