The Gaem Foundation, Group Affected by Multiple Sclerosis, located at Parc Cientific de Barcelona, has decided to actively include Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO), also known as Devic's disease, as part of its outreach, research and innovation strategy. The aim of the initiative is to become a meeting point of reference for affected individuals and their families, in the absence of a patient support group that brings them together.

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NMO is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system caused by an autoimmune response against brain antigens, especially aquaporin 4 (AQP4). Antibodies that act against the AQP4 protein are pathogenic and cause severe damage mainly to the optic nerve and spinal cord. Over 50% of patients end up blind in one or both eyes or need help to walk for the first 5 years from the onset of the disease. Due to its incidence, NMO is considered a rare or minority disease, which affects about 300 people in Spain, mainly women (85%), with a worldwide prevalence of 0.3-4.4 patients per 100,000 inhabitants.

Until recently, it was thought that NMO was a variant of multiple sclerosis (MS) but recent studies have revealed that both exhibit significant different immunopathological, clinical, prognostic and treatment response. Crucial to this was the discovery of the aquaporin-4 (anti-AQP4, also, NMO-IgG) antibodies that are present in most patients with NMO and, which, are found in a minority of those suffering from MS. Despite this, knowledge about the immunopathogenesis and significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of NMO are still a major challenge. To date, there are no specific therapies for the disease and patients are treated with immunosuppressive drugs based on observational studies. The rarity of the disease has hampered the conductance of randomized clinical trials and the interest on the part of the pharmaceutical industry.

Because patients with NMO and their families do not have an association that groups affected individuals together, the GAEM wants to support these patients by promoting, among other initiatives, specific biomedical research projects to achieve a breakthrough in the treatment of disease. In fact, this foundation is already actively promoting various experimental studies to develop specific therapies for NMO: developing blocking antibodies of the IgG-NMO auto-antibody vaccination with AQP4 DNA, or phase IB clinical trial to demonstrate the safety of dendritic cells therapy of the immune system that is carried out at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona with the support of Obra Social “la Caixa”.

The GAEM Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote innovation and biomedical research in the hope of finding therapeutic solutions to cure Multiple Sclerosis. It is located at Parc Cientific de Barcelona and chaired by Vicens Oliver, an individual affected by the disease since 1993.

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