An international research team has found nearly 30 genetic risk factors that predispose to developing multiple sclerosis. It brings to more than 50 the total number of genetic clues to the disease. The research, published in Nature, will help identify risk factors and perhaps future treatments or even a cure, hopes the MS Society.
The researchers say that most of these genes are linked to immunity, backing the idea that the disease is triggered when the immune system turns against itself. Genes are only part of the story, however, with other factors, such as vitamin D or a viral infection, thought to play an important role.
The study, carried out by a consortium of international researchers, led by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, is the largest yet into genes and MS. It looked at DNA from almost 10,000 MS patients, and more than 15,000 healthy controls. Twenty three known genetic variations common in the general population that give a tiny increase in the risk of getting MS were confirmed and 29 new ones identified. Another five are strongly suspected as being involved, bringing the total number of genetic variations associated with MS to 57.
Professor Alistair Compston of the University of Cambridge said, “This is suddenly a big new number of genes to try to understand. 80% of the genes that are implicated by the 57 'hits' are immunological. This shouts out that this is an immunological disease at the beginning. This is a very important confirmation.”
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society said, “By identifying which genes may trigger the development of MS, we can identify potential 'risk factors' and look at new ways of treating, or even preventing, the condition in the future.” Some of the genes found to be important in MS are also implicated in other autoimmune disorders, such as Crohn's disease and Type 1 diabetes, a separate research paper, published in PLoS Genetics, has reported. “These findings will help focus future research to find new ways to intervene in the course of MS and other diseases,” Dr. David Hafler, professor of neurology and immunobiology at Yale University, and an author on both papers, said in a written statement.
The Australian research was led by Clinical Immunologist, Professor Graeme Stewart, who says it is a major leap forward for people with the disease. “Hope always has to depend on hard fact and truth - this provides some definite hard facts about the cause of MS…It won't produce an answer tomorrow or in the next two or three years, but it will set the world off to get an understanding of the cause, and it's the understanding of the cause that leads on to the cure,” he said.
Around 2.5 million people around the world have MS, 100,000 of them in the UK. About 400,000 Americans and About 20,000 Australians suffer from MS have MS. Another 200 diagnosed each week in the US according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Most people are diagnosed with the disease between ages 20 and 50, although it can also appear in young children and the elderly. The disease attacks the central nervous system, causing symptoms that include fatigue, memory loss, and problems with balance and muscle coordination.
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