Chicago: US researchers have discovered
two genes associated with repairing the damaged central
nervous systems of mice with multiple sclerosis, according to
a study presented at a conference in Germany.
The findings offer new hope for developing more
effective therapies and predicting the outcomes of how
particular patients will respond to the debilitating disease.
"It`s possible that the identification of these genes
may provide the first important clue as to why some patients
with MS do well, while others do not," said study author Allan
Bieber, a neuroscientist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
"While we`re still in the early stages of this
research, it could eventually lead to the development of
useful therapies that stimulate or inhibit these genetic
pathways in patients with MS."
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, which
attacks the central nervous system. Previous research has
shown that some of this damage can be repaired by the body
even without therapeutic intervention.
Bieber`s team studied mice with a chronic, progressive
MS-like disease and mapped the genes of those which
spontaneously repaired the damage to the central nervous
system and retained most neurological function.
They found two strong genetic determinants of this
good disease outcome.
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"The genetic data indicates that good central
nervous system repair results from stimulation of one genetic
pathway and inhibition of another genetic pathway," Bieber
said in a statement yesterday.
Bureau Report