The best treatment that may hit the head one day is a quick sniffing nasal spray. The researchers found early evidence in mice that antibody-based treatments can reduce brain damage caused by concussions and more severe traumatic injuries.
General Mass scientists conducted the study, published Thursday Natural Neuroscience. In mice with brain injuries, experimental sprays appeared to improve the natural acute healing process of the brain while also reducing damage inflammation later. The researchers say these findings may lead to real preventiveness in response to the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury and the long-term effects of other diseases such as stroke.
Traumatic brain injury or TBI is an ongoing public health problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, a TBI was hospitalized for more than 200,000 Americans, resulting in nearly 70,000 deaths. Scientists also learned that TBI, including mild TBIs we call concussions, may cause neurological problems and may even increase the risk of dementia decades later.
Although there are multiple ways to reduce acute injuries caused by TBI, such as surgery for heavy rest or severe injuries, there are no established medications to prevent its chronic effects (that is, brain rehabilitation treatment is usually an important part of recovery). However, in recent years, large-scale Brigham Young researchers have been studying an experimental lab-made antibody called Foralumab that has promise for neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Therefore, they decided to see if Foramub might also be useful for TBI.
Foralumab, developed by Tiziana Life Sciences, targets specific proteins that interact with brain immune cells, called CD3. Early work by the team showed that this CD3 inhibition increased the activity of certain immune cells called regulatory T cells (TREGs). As the name suggests, these cells help regulate the brain's immune response to ensure there is no interference.
Lead Investigator Saef Izzy said: “Traumatic brain injury is the main cause of death and disability – including cognitive decline, and chronic inflammation is one of the key causes.”
In their latest mouse study, the researchers found that folarumb (VIA) (increased activity of treg cells) improves aspects of the brain healing immediately due to traumatic injury. For example, doses of mice's microglia (the unique immune defense of the brain) have become better at diet and cleaning after damaged cells. Subsequently, the drug also appeared to prevent long-term inflammation of mice relative to control mice, while mice that had been up to three days after injury experienced greater improvements in motor function and coordination.
“These findings suggest that nasal anti-CD3 represents a novel treatment that promises to treat TBI and possibly other forms of acute brain injury,” the researchers wrote.
Studies conducted in mice and other animals are just the first step to prove that new drugs or vaccines can work as they wish. Obviously, more studies are needed to verify the drug's TBI therapeutic potential. However, phalimumab has shown early positive results in MS trials in humans, and other trials for Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have begun or are about to begin. This makes it hope that this antibody can become a new and much-needed therapeutic option for many brain conditions, including TBI.
