Using magnetic resonance imaging in animal models to guide drug development in multiple sclerosis
Date
2013-11-21
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Abstract
Major advances are taking place in the development of therapeutics for multiple sclerosis (MS), with a move past
traditional immunomodulatory/immunosuppressive therapies toward medications aimed at promoting remyelination
or neuroprotection. With an increase in diversity of MS therapies comes the need to assess the effectiveness of such
therapies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the main tools used to evaluate the effectiveness of MS therapeutics
in clinical trials. As all new therapeutics for MS are tested in animal models first, it is logical that MRI be incorporated into
preclinical studies assessing therapeutics. Here, we review key papers showing how MR imaging has been combined with
a range of animal models to evaluate potential therapeutics for MS. We also advise on how to maximize the potential for
incorporating MRI into preclinical studies evaluating possible therapeutics for MS, which should improve the likelihood
of discovering new medications for the condition.
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Keywords
Magnetic resonance imaging, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus, cuprizone, lysolecithin, disease-modifying therapies