In a mouse model widely used to test new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), RNS60 achieved robust beneficial effects. The study was conducted at Rush University in Chicago and published in the journal PLoS ONE. It identified cellular targets of RNS60 and showed that RNS60 can modulate the adaptive immune response in a favorable manner. MS, similar to other inflammatory diseases, is driven by an over-reaction of the immune system. Intrinsic mechanisms to counterbalance the response and prevent damage to the brain are overrun and fail to keep the system in check. In the mouse model used here, T effector cells (Th17 and Th1 cells) are over-activated and the regulatory T cells, which are supposed to balance the response, are weakened. RNS60 treatment restored the balance through a decrease of Th1 and Th17 cells and a boost of regulatory T cells. These findings represent an important foundation of clinical development of RNS60 as a potential novel treatment for MS.

Link to the paper: Protection of Tregs, Suppression of Th1 and Th17 Cells, and Amelioration of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis by a Physically-Modified Saline (plos.org)