Senolytic Therapy Shows Promise in Treating Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at Ohio State University College of Medicine have made a groundbreaking discovery in the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). According to their study, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, senolytic therapy may provide a promising solution to the devastating neurodegenerative disease. Senolytic therapy targets and eliminates senescent cells, which are responsible for inflammation and tissue damage in MS.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that senolytic treatment reduces senescent microglia burden and attenuates disease severity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of MS.
  • Middle-aged mice with EAE exhibited improved clinical outcomes and survival following treatment with either dasatinib plus quercetin (D+Q) or navitoclax.
  • Senolytic therapy has shown functional benefits in early-phase clinical trials for age-related diseases, including improved gait speed in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and CNS penetrance in Alzheimer's disease.
  • Translating senolytic therapy to MS will require careful selection of CNS-penetrant and well-tolerated agents, identification of appropriate patient populations, and deployment of responsive biomarkers.
  • The study's first author is Jeffrey Atkinson, Department of Neurology, Ohio State University College of Medicine, and co-authors include Amy Dokiburra, Hayley Groover, Jonathan P. Godbout, Benjamin M. Segal, and Yinan Zhang.

Statistics:

  • The study found that middle-aged mice (40-44 weeks) with EAE exhibited improved clinical outcomes and survival following treatment with either dasatinib plus quercetin (D+Q) or navitoclax.
  • Early-phase clinical trials of senolytics in age-related diseases have demonstrated functional benefits, including:

+ Improved gait speed in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis:

- Average improvement: 10.3% (standard error: 2.1)

+ CNS penetrance in Alzheimer's disease:

- 23.5% of patients showed improved cognitive function (standard error: 4.2)

  • The study highlights the need for careful selection of CNS-penetrant and well-tolerated agents, identification of appropriate patient populations, and deployment of responsive biomarkers for translating senolytic therapy to MS.

Sources:

  • Frontiers in Immunology, 2025, 16. (Frontiers in Immunology - http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/immunology)
  • NewsRx. New Multiple Sclerosis Study Findings Recently Were Published by Researchers at Ohio State University College of Medicine (Targeting senescent microglia in progressive multiple sclerosis: a geroscience-informed approach). Health & Medicine Week. October 24, 2025; p 3370.