McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University

A new multiple sclerosis treatment developed by Lonnie Shea, professor of chemical and biological engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been featured by several news outlets.

Shea and collaborator Stephen Miller of Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine recently discovered a biodegradable nanoparticle that could fight multiple sclerosis without suppressing a patient’s immune system. Current MS treatments suppress the immune system, leaving patients susceptible to infections and higher rates of cancer.

The new technology also may be applied to a variety of immune-mediated diseases like type 1 diabetes, food allergies, and asthma. In an added benefit, the nanoparticle is made from an easily produced and already FDA-approved substance.

“This is a major breakthrough in nanotechnology, showing you can use (the nanoparticle) to regulate the immune system,” Shea said.

The research was first published November 18 in the journal Nature Biotechnology. It has since been featured by CBS News, MSN, the Daily Mail, the Examiner, Daily Tech, Science Daily, and PharmaBiz.com.