Gene can repair multiple sclerosis damage

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 21 Dec 2004 - 10:00 PDT

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A gene which controls the body's ability to repair the nerve damage inflicted by Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases like multiple sclerosis has been identified.

Scientists the Centre for Brain Repair and the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge and the Dana-Farber Institute at Harvard University have discovered a gene called Olig 1 can stimulate the re-growth of myelin.

MS strips nerves of myelin, a protective fatty sheath, and impairs their ability to transmit signals.

Published in the journal Science, the study claims that Olig 1 is essential for the myelin-repairing process in adults with Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases. Working with tissue from rodents and humans, the researchers determined that the Olig 1 gene jump-starts a process that can restore, at least temporarily, the myelin coating of nerves damaged in MS.

Around 2.5 million people worldwide suffer from MS, an inflammatory disease of the CNS and one of the most common causes of neurological disability in young adults.

Symptoms of the disease range from fatigue and numbness to difficulties with memory, speech and movement. During remissions, randomly damaged nerves in the brain and spinal cord become recovered with myelin.

"This suggests that the Olig 1's function has been shaped by evolution to repair the brain in areas where the insulating layer of myelin has been depleted through disease," said Dr Robin Franklin, lead investigator of the Cambridge team.

The researchers conclude that, while MS may not be completely preventable, there is hope that therapeutic approaches, focusing on the repair process will be available in the future.
http://www.hda-online.org.uk/html/about/phnews.asp?ItemID=7368397

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