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Updated: May 14, 2026

A Flow Cytometry-Based High-Throughput Technique for Screening Integrin-Inhibitory Drugs
Published on: February 2, 2024
Anti-integrin therapy for multiple sclerosis
Eiji Kawamoto1, Susumu Nakahashi, Takayuki Okamoto
1Emergency and Critical Care Center, Mie University Hospital, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu 514-8507, Japan.
Abstract:
Integrins are the foremost family of cell adhesion molecules that regulate immune cell trafficking in health and diseases. Integrin alpha4 mediates organ-specific migration of immune cells to the inflamed brain, thereby playing the critical role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Anti-alpha4 integrin therapy aiming to block infiltration of autoreactive lymphocytes to the inflamed brain has been validated in several clinical trials for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. This paper provides readers with an overview of the molecular and structural bases of integrin activation as well as rationale for using anti-alpha4 integrin therapy for multiple sclerosis and then chronicles the rise and fall of this treatment strategy using natalizumab, a humanized anti-alpha4 integrin.
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