MADISON, Wis., April 7, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- As announced in the March 7th issue of the Wisconsin State Journal, Dr. John Fleming, a leading neurologist at the UW Hospital, is initiating an investigator-initiated IND clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of Trichuris suis ova (TSO) in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Dr. Fleming's trial is funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and is the first of its kind within the United States.
The concept of using TSO therapy to treat MS was sparked by evidence showing TSO boosts regulatory T cells, and may therefore be able to down-modulate pathways observed in Multiple Sclerosis (as well as in Crohn's Disease). Indeed, in a February 2007 publication in Annals of Neurology by Correale and Farez, et al. MS patients chronically populated with helminths experienced a significantly more favorable course of the disease, as compared with worm-free MS patients.
Fleming's trial will launch in Wisconsin in April, and will focus on TSO's effects on the safety as well as the frequency and severity of clinical and radiographic exacerbations in patients with MS.
About TSO: ASP1002 is a helminth ova (worm egg) technology currently being developed for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and immunological disorders, such as Crohn's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and asthma. More than 1,000 patients in Europe and the United States have taken TSO without significant side effects or safety issues.
About Asphelia: Asphelia Pharmaceuticals is a privately-held, clinical-stage company focused on changing the course of immunological disorders. Asphelia's primary focus lies in its development of therapies targeting Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis), as well as other immunological and inflammatory disorders, including multiple sclerosis and asthma. Asphelia's lead compounds target the cause of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, not just its symptoms, in an effort to change the course of the diseases and allow patients new freedoms. Asphelia's immunotherapeutics seek to provide patients with safer, more effective and more convenient care.