The Head of the Neuroendocrinology Unit in the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Milano (UniMi) this week launched an initiative to supercharge post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) research and, in doing so, identify potential therapies for the condition.
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I read this morning and seems like progress is being made. Very positive news.
Great to see, effort on different fronts. 270k for the suite of studies not just one.
Identifying the biomaker is particularly exciting. This could open up doors.
We should support everything that is being done to try to get us out of this mess.
If anyone in the know is permitted to expand on the UK study mentioned below that would be appreciated.
“Share data with qualified researchers at institutions outside of UniMi, exploring with them the possibility of working on complementary projects so that Team Melcangi’s recommended “next step” investigations may be conducted concurrent with the Milano Project, or soon after it wraps. One such study is already being formulated in the UK.”
I’m afraid to click the link because my body is ushering in a new level of what I think is stress-driven hell and I’m concerned that like most posts of this nature the fluff to substance ratio will be more than I can handle.
Can anyone summarize the plan to identify biomarkers? Is this a study on cellular damage and gene expression? Has this research team leapt ahead of PFSN’s projects somehow? Is there collaboration with research groups of similar triggered syndromes…long covid, CFS, etc.
$270k is peanuts if there’s actually something to throw it at.
This is good, no doubt the work of Kiel and Tampere will be able to explain the primary mechanisms of pfs and that it is certainly necessary to follow the thinking of the pfsnetwork because this can end up being nothing. But this is interesting too, in my opinion what Melcangi wants is to see if by acting on inflammation and using allopregnanolone (which it has systemic anti-inflammation properties, even in the gut) there can be an improvement. Perhaps it may speed up the arrival of allopregnanolone therapy for pfs patients, we don’t know for sure if it will be approved for regular depression/anxiety.
Rather than studying the mechanisms, he is trying to see directly whether by addressing the observable consequences something can be improved.
I think that Melcangi team should work with Graziano Pinna, he is one of the eminences in the field of allopregnanolone (he is developing drugs and supplements) and knows what finasteride syndrome is.
"As for authors, Dr. Frye CA, Morrow AL, and Pinna G were identified as the top three prolific scholars due to their great publications and citations. "
Graziano Pinna even has a paper talking about the relationship between allopregnanolone synthesis and the gut, talking about mechanisms that I have not seen Melcangi talk about in his studies (PPAR-alpha-Allopregnanolone relationship).
Although precisely in his latest paper on the 180 upregulated and downregulated genes in the brain Melcangi talks about the downregulation of peroxisomes (PPAR = peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors) and fatty acids system which have big relation to ppar-alpha.
Inflammation is definitely a key factor here, i got significant relief from plasma exchange treatments and corticosteroids in high IV dose. Unfortunately i don’t get them approved anymore, i spoke to Melcangi via email and it really seems that the gut microbiome is also at the forefront here. Neurosteroid metabolism and synthesis are largely related to the gut.
I think personally that this might be a systemic inflammatory condition, with some type of metabolic/hepatic encephalitis going on.