Korean scientists have developed a cure!

There are many ailments known to man in nature that unfortunately lack effective treatments. This is the case of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which is known as a set of hereditary disorders that cause nerve damage.

Described for the first time thanks to the work of the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his student Pierre Marie as well as those of the English neurologist Howard Henry Tooth, the disease has remained without a conclusive cure to date. The main treatments that patients benefit from today are physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions. To ease their pain, they are also given medication. But things could well change in the months to come. Indeed, Korean researchers have managed to develop the first electroceutical technology capable of treating the disease. The information was made public on August 30 by the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology before being relayed by the country’s media.

Finally a cure for the most common inherited neurological disease in the world

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, often abbreviated as CMT, is considered to be one of the most common inherited neurological diseases. Affecting one in 3000 people in the world, it is even considered to be the most common condition falling into this category.

It usually appears in adolescence or adulthood and leads to degeneration of muscle tissue. The most common symptoms of CMT are lack of strength in the legs and feet, toes curled up like claws, and a significant decrease in muscle mass. The disease also causes a reduction in the sensation to the touch or a significant vault. This puts the affected people in a situation of quasi-handicap who are condemned to live all the rest of their lives with it.

It could nevertheless be that a new page opens very soon for all these patients. Indeed, research conducted by Professor Kim Min-seok and his team at the DGIST has made it possible to recreate myelin in mice thanks to precise stimulation.

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A discovery that sheds light on the possibilities of electroceutical technology

It should be noted that myelin is the insulating and protective layer that forms around the nerves and ensures the proper conduction of nerve impulses. The researchers found in their experiments that abnormalities in protein and cholesterol distribution in the myelin membrane could be ameliorated through specific electrical simulation.

Better still, after three weeks of treatment based on their electroceutical technology, they managed to restore damaged myelin in mice suffering from CMT. This resulted in a significant improvement in the animal’s movement abilities which had diminished due to the disease.

Proud of his find, Professor Kim Min-seok is already planning for the future. To this effect, he said this:

The essence of this study is that it confirmed the possibility of treating incurable peripheral neuropathy, which has no therapy, with electroceutical technology for the first time. We hope that the research results will extend to the development of electroceuticals capable of treating the 2.8 million patients suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Professor Kim Min-seok

Source: Korea Herald