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Funding of EUR 1.1 million from ForTra gGmbH for Research Transfer (ForTra), a subsidiary of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, enables further development of a drug patch developed at JGU that is designed to stimulate the regeneration of damaged myelin sheaths
A therapeutic approach pioneered in Mainz for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) is taking an important step toward clinical application. The team led by Professor Claire Jacob at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is further developing a drug patch that could promote the repair of damaged myelin sheaths. ForTra gGmbH for Research Transfer (ForTra), a subsidiary of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, is supporting the project with EUR 1.1 million. The aim is to further develop the patch for production according to pharmaceutical quality standards and subsequently assess its safety and tolerability in an initial clinical trial.
"With this funding, we are taking a decisive step toward our goal of translating our research findings into a potential treatment for people with MS," said Claire Jacob, Professor of Cellular Neurobiology at JGU. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the fatty myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord is damaged. Current therapies primarily aim to reduce inflammation and prevent new relapses. However, there is currently no approved therapy that specifically promotes the rebuilding of already damaged myelin, a process known as remyelination.
For more than 20 years, Claire Jacob has been investigating the molecular mechanisms that enable the body to regenerate damaged myelin. Her team identified the epigenetically active enzyme histone deacetylase 2, or HDAC2, as an important factor in this repair process. In their search for a compound capable of specifically activating this enzyme, the researchers came across theophylline, a drug that has been used for decades to treat asthma and other respiratory diseases, although at higher doses. In studies in mice, the Mainz team showed that low-dose theophylline increases HDAC2 activity and can thereby promote the rebuilding of myelin. The researchers are thus using a long-established and well-studied drug for a new therapeutic application at a substantially lower dose.
Continuous delivery via a drug patch
To achieve the low drug concentration required for remyelination and to maintain it over an extended period, the researchers worked with the group led by Professor Peter Langguth from JGU’s Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology to develop a special transdermal patch. The patch continuously delivers a small amount of theophylline through the skin over several days. Preclinical testing of this therapeutic approach and earlier steps were previously supported by the Mainz Science Foundation with EUR 140,000.
ForTra is now funding the next stage of development. The nonprofit subsidiary of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation supports promising medical research projects in their transition toward clinical application. As a first step, the drug patch is to be transferred to a German patch-manufacturing company, where it will be further optimized for larger-scale production under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. Compliance with these standards is required for a medicinal product to be used in clinical trials involving humans.
The patch will subsequently be tested at the Mainz University Medical Center in a Phase I clinical trial involving healthy volunteers. At this stage, the primary focus will be on patch adhesion, tolerability, and how effectively the drug is delivered through the skin. The trial will not yet show whether the treatment can actually promote the regeneration of damaged myelin sheaths in people with MS.
The research team led by Professor Claire Jacob therefore plans a multicenter Phase II trial involving patients with MS in Germany as the next step. This study could investigate for the first time whether the approach can promote remyelination in people with MS. The team is currently seeking additional funding for this trial. "Our long-term goal is to develop a therapy that not only slows the progression of the disease," said Claire Jacob, "but also helps the nervous system repair damage that has already occurred."
Images:
https://download.uni-mainz.de/presse/10_idn_MS_transdermal-patch_prototypes_data...
Prototypes of transdermal drug patches in the laboratory (left) and study data on the transdermal passage of aminophylline, a compound of theophylline and ethylenediamine, using six different transdermal patches that deliver the drug through the skin (right)
photo/©: Sophia Engel; ill./©: Engel et al., AAPS PharmSciTech, 2026, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1208/s12249-026-03377-8#Sec12
https://download.uni-mainz.de/presse/10_idn_MS_transdermal-patch_phases.jpg
Clinical development roadmap for a transdermal aminophylline/theophylline patch for use in patients with multiple sclerosis
ill.: AI-generated with Perplexity
Related links:
• https://cnb-idn.biologie.uni-mainz.de/research/ – Professor Claire Jacob's research group "Control of Nervous System Development, Maintenance and Regeneration by Chromatin Remodeling Enzymes"
• https://cnb-idn.biologie.uni-mainz.de/a-transdermal-patch-to-promote-remyelinati... – Research project on transdermal patches to promote remyelination in multiple sclerosis patients in the group of Professor Claire Jacob
• https://ekfs.de/en/scientific-funding/translational-research-ForTra/funding-prog... – ForTra gGmbH for Research Transfer (ForTra), a subsidiary of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation
Read more
• https://press.uni-mainz.de/ablation-of-hdac8-accelerates-the-regeneration-of-neu... – press release "Ablation of HDAC8 accelerates the regeneration of neurons and the recovery of the sensory function" (24 Feb. 2025)
• https://press.uni-mainz.de/mechanisms-identified-to-restore-myelin-sheaths-after... – press release "Mechanisms identified to restore myelin sheaths after injury or in multiple sclerosis" (24 Aug. 2020)
• https://press.uni-mainz.de/first-step-to-induce-self-repair-in-the-central-nervo... – press release "First step to induce self-repair in the central nervous system" (11 July 2019)
Professor Dr. Claire Jacob
Cellular Neurobiology
Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology (iDN)
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
55099 Mainz
E-Mail: cjacob@uni-mainz.de
https://cnb-idn.biologie.uni-mainz.de/
Prototypes of transdermal drug patches in the laboratory
Quelle: photo/©: Sophia Engel
Clinical development roadmap for a transdermal aminophylline/theophylline patch for use in patients ...
Copyright: ill.: AI-generated with Perplexity
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Journalisten, Wirtschaftsvertreter, jedermann
Biologie, Medizin
überregional
Forschungs- / Wissenstransfer, Forschungsprojekte
Englisch
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