Remyelination in Multiple Sclerosis – How Close are We?

In 1961, Richard and Mary Bunge discovered and reported the phenomenon of spontaneous myelin repair using an animal model of demyelination [1]. Only four years later, the same possibility was observed in specimens from patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), what would eventually be the starting point of a true scientific revolution – the demonstration that the human central nervous system (CNS) may be able of spontaneous self-repair [2]. Since then, over the past decades, some speculation has been produced about the possibility of developing new drugs that could enhance or improve spontaneous remyelination in MS. Although difficult, this goal seems to be getting closer and new therapeutic agents are being developed to fill this gap in MS care, accompanying an increasingly deep understanding of the biology of remyelination.