Preclinical Proof of Concept for LIF Nanotherapeutics for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disabling neurological condition commonly affecting young
adults and involving 100,000 people in the UK alone. Damage or scarring of the myelin
sheath - demyelination - is the hallmark of MS that progressively or intermittently causes a
wide range of symptoms as specific nerves become inflamed and lose function. There is no
cure and all the current therapeutic options have questionable efficacy and undesirable side
effects.
LIF
The recent discovery that a small chemical messenger, leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), not
only possesses curative properties within damaged CNS tissue, but also guides immune cells
to become protective against auto-immune attack, highlights LIF as a desirable therapeutic
option for MS. Simple, safe and widely accessible, LIF is also compatible with other
therapeutic approaches, uniquely providing the potential for clinical synergy. Mechanistically,
LIF suppresses a type of inflammatory immune cell - the "Th17" lymphocyte. "Rogue" Th17
cells may arise within specific host tissues leading to autoimmune inflammation in parts of the
CNS of MS patients. LIF opposes Th17 cells by converting them to “Treg” cells - tolerogenic
lymphocytes essential in preventing autoimmunity.
THE LIF-NANO INVENTION
LIF-loaded, antibody targeted biodegradable nanoparticles have been formulated as a highly
innovative approach to exploit LIF as a powerful natural therapeutic applicable to both
autoimmunity and CNS diseases. These LIF-nano particles are able to target specific cell
types creating a safe, transient, physiological microenvironment with protective and reparative
properties.
LIF-NANO THERAPEUTICS
The potential value of LIF-nano is immense. LIF-Nano Therapeutics have acquired
proprietary rights to this nano-technology, an approach representing a new era in therapeutics
in an area of high unmet clinical need.