An internationally known multiple-sclerosis researcher is scheduled to speak Friday in Durango about a vaccine he is developing that could result in what was unimaginable a few years ago – a cure for MS.
Dr. Timothy Vollmer will describe his research to medical professionals at noon at Mercy Regional Medical Center and to people with MS and their families in the evening at Durango Public Library.
Vollmer, a neurologist, is medical director and director of clinical research at the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Colorado. He conducts numerous clinical trials, often involving combinations of therapies. He lectures frequently in the United States and Europe.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system, which consists of the brain, the spinal cord and optic nerves. The specific symptoms and severity, which can run from limb numbness to paralysis, depends on the person.
The first generation of MS drugs were about 32 percent effective in combatting the disease, Karen Wenzel, executive director of the Rocky Mountain MS Center, said last week regarding Vollmer’s visit to Durango. The goal was to slow progress and limit damage.
Depending on the person, new drugs are 72 percent effective and can stop the disease, with the next goal being the repair of damage, Wenzel said. A lifestyle that includes activity and socialization can enhance the brain’s ability to rewire itself.
“There have been great strides in MS research,” Wenzel said. “Research and treatment are evolving very rapidly.”
Numerous La Plata County residents who have MS see Vollmer at the MS center in Aurora.
“We put on a lot of miles to see Dr. Vollmer,” said Lars Enggren, who has been active for years in the La Plata County MS Society. “He is the top of the line.”
Jeanine Pope, who stepped down recently after eight years as president of the La Plata County society, has seen Vollmer for years.
“Dr. Vollmer is thorough and is on the cutting edge,” Pope said. “If your disease is progressing, you want an aggressive neurologist like Dr. Vollmer on your side.”
Troy Penning, whose MS was diagnosed in 2007, likes Vollmer’s willingness to try new medicines.
“He has a lot of ideas,” said Penning, who is on his fourth therapy. “If you don’t like one med, he’ll get you another.”
Vollmer’s clinical trials involve investigator-initiated projects as well as work sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. Private funding can’t bring a new drug to market alone because it requires $1 billion to get a new drug through the Federal Drug Administration approval process.
But additionally, since January 2012, Vollmer has been developing the vaccine, which is meeting all the benchmarks for progress, Wenzel said.
Mice currently are used in trials.
“It’s looking very promising, and the drug could be ready for testing on humans in about three years,” Wenzel said. “If it works, it will cure MS.”
daler@durangoherald.com
