Experimental MS vaccine proves safe in early trial

An experimental DNA vaccine to fight multiple sclerosis is safe and may also be effective, results of a small McGill trial suggest. The vaccine, called BHT-3009, works by preventing the immune system from attacking the myelin sheaths that protect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. "This was an early trial of a new class of drugs for autoimmune disease in general and for MS in particular," said lead researcher Dr. Amit Bar-Or, of McGill's Montreal Neurological Institute. The findings were published online Monday in Archives of Neurology and are expected to be published in the October print issue of the journal.