Multiple Sclerosis

LEAD COMPOUND PPI-1025

Mylin, the lipid-rich sheath that surrounds the axons of nerves, is highly enriched in plasmalogen lipids. Recent results using an animal model constitutively lacking plasmalogens has shown that plasmalogen deficiency causes generalized hypomyelination in the CNS and that the intrinsic capacity of oligodendrocytes to ensheath and initiate membrane wrapping requires plasmalogens.

Pre-clinical results in an in vivo animal model of Multiple Sclerosis showed that plasmalogens are reduced in the brains and plasma of affected animals. Lead plasmalogen precursor compound PPI-1025, designed specifically for Multiple Sclerosis, is a synthetic drug made from individual synthetic myelin components and is directly converted by the body into an active component of myelin. MLD scientists have shown that treatment with PPI-1025 increases plasmalogen levels in the brain, and protects against demyelination in animal models.