Three Important Multiple Sclerosis Studies Reported This Week - International Collaboration Identifies New Risk Genes For MS

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 15 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (IMSGC) has identified two new genetic variations associated with multiple sclerosis. In addition, two independent collaborating groups are publishing papers in Nature Genetics confirming one of these gene variations. The IMSGC findings, which will appear in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 29th, point to potential mechanisms underlying the disease and present possible new targets for designing better therapies to stop the immune attack in MS. The study analyzed genomic information from 12,360 subjects, the most comprehensive such study undertaken to date, using a new technological advance, a DNA chip that enabled the collaborators to test 500,000 individual genetic locations (sites within genes) at one time for possible involvement in MS.

The IMSGC's high-powered analysis yielded two novel genetic variations showing a highly significant association with MS. These variations are in the genes that control the function of messenger proteins, or cytokines, that regulate immune cells (including T cells, which are major players in the immune attack that is launched on the brain and spinal cord in MS). The variations are in the genes for interleukin-2 receptor-alpha and interleukin-7 receptor-alpha, both genes involved in the policing functions of the immune system. Two papers being published online July 29 in Nature Genetics also report on the association of interleukin-7 receptor-alpha with MS, and how the change in this protein affects the immune system.

"By pinpointing genes that elevate the risk of developing MS and other autoimmune diseases," stated Dr. John R. Richert, Executive Vice President, Research & Clinical Programs at the National MS Society, "these studies lead us in new directions for both treating and eventually preventing these diseases."

In 2003, Drs. David A. Hafler (Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital) Stephen Hauser (University of California, San Francisco) and Eric Lander (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard) jointly received the Palmer Collaborative MS Research Center Award: MS Targeted Haplotype Project from the National MS Society to pool expertise and resources in attempts to speed work toward discovering MS genes. This award propelled the formation of the IMSGC, a collaborating group of investigators with expertise in genetics, database design/construction, and clinical assessment and immunology of MS. This group includes Drs. Alistair Compston and Stephen Sawcer (University of Cambridge), Drs. Jonathan Haines (Vanderbilt University) and Margaret Pericak-Vance (University of Miami) and Dr. Jorge Oksenberg (UCSF). They have established a shared DNA repository, which enables them to gather the large amounts of data necessary to conduct genetics studies. This first of its kind collaboration is helping to spearhead research into genetic implications associated with autoimmune diseases

Details : http://www.nationalmssociety.org/GeneticFactors

-- Possible Target of Immune Attack in MS and New Therapeutic Approach Identified by National MS Society-Sponsored Investigators
-- Protein produced to protect brain from harm may become target
A new study by National MS Society-supported researchers suggests a small protein (alpha B-crystallin) normally produced by cells to protect against injury may itself be the target of the multiple sclerosis immune attack. Administering the protein to mice with a similar disease countered the effect, opening the door to a potential new therapeutic approach for MS. Shalina Ousman, PhD, Lawrence Steinman, MD (Stanford University) and collaborators report their findings in the July 26, 2007 issue of Nature.
Details: click here.

-- Study Finds Early Sun Exposure Associated with Reduced Risk of MS
Researchers report that sun exposure during childhood was associated with a reduced risk of MS in a study of 79 pairs of twins in which one twin had MS. This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that sun exposure may be protective against MS. Talat Islam, MBBS, PhD, Thomas Mack, MD, MPH (Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles) and colleagues report their findings in the July 24 issue of Neurology (2007;69:381-388).
Details: click here.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and it stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn't. The National MS Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW, and are dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement at nationalMSsociety.org.

Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at http://www.nationalmssociety.org to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org

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