Myelin is a fatty protein that forms a sheath around the axons of nerve cells – the part of the cell that transmits messages to other nerve cells. Damage to myelin (or demyelination) caused by multiple sclerosis interrupts or blocks nerve messages. In the earlier stages of MS, oligodendrocytes can often repair areas of damaged myelin – a process known as remyelination. As MS becomes more established, these cells stop functioning or are killed off and myelin is not repaired, resulting in increasing disability.

The good news is that research is beginning to identify potential remyelination treatments which are being tested in clinical trials. In this Q and A we chat with Dr Nick Cunniffe about some of the research that has been done and what is in the pipeline for remyelination research.