Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an auto-immune disease that affects millions of people all over the world. That’s why it’s so huge that a scientist at Cambridge University might be on the verge of finding a cure for it.

Dr. Su Metcalfe, senior research associate at Cambridge University, has spent years researching MS. She just had a huge breakthrough when she found a switch within the immune cell that could be “reset” in order to return it to its normal activity. One of the main elements of her pre-clinical trial research involves the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), which is a small signaling protein that acts on stem cells in the body.

“[LIF] is able to activate these cells in order to replace damaged cells during tissue repair—for example, repair of a torn muscle,” said Metcalfe. “A further key role of LIF is to sustain a healthy central nervous system, protecting nerves and maintaining myelin.”

Six years ago, Metcalfe started the Cambridge company LIF-NanoRx to carry out further the research. She was hoping to guide a measured dose of the tiny, specialized particles to damaged nerves and repair them, but when the LIF particles were deployed as a therapeutic agent, she found that the body broke down LIF after only 20 minutes. That’s when ultrafine nanoparticles came into play.

Ultrafine nanoparticles are so small that the surface area is much greater than their mass, and their special properties and size make them uniquely suited to delivering therapies to the interior of cells. Metcalfe managed to source the nanoparticles using the same type of material as dissolving stitches. The researcher then combined them with the LIF protein to extend the life of the repair agent in the body—and thus far, her testing has been very successful. The LIF not only has time to reach the damaged areas and work their magic, but the the nanoparticles also eventually dissolve within the body, leaving behind only carbon dioxide and water.

This effectively means that Metcalfe’s treatment can reverse autoimmunity while simultaneously repairing the damage it has wrought on a patient’s brain.

“We’re not using any drugs, we’re simply switching on the body’s own systems of self-tolerance and repair,” Metcalfe explained. “There aren’t any side effects because all we’re doing is tipping the balance. Auto-immunity happens when that balance has gone awry slightly, and we simply reset that. Once you’ve done that, it becomes self-sustaining and you don’t have to keep giving therapy, because the body has its balance back.”

Human trials for this might start as soon as 2020, depending on funding from investors and interest from pharmaceutical companies.