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19 Feb 2008
Scientists investigating potential therapies for people suffering from multiple sclerosis have identified a pattern in the way the condition develops which could help identify treatments.
Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine studied more than 2,500 proteins present in the brain of MS patients and non-patients.
In particular, they identified two proteins that were damaged during one of the stages of progression of the disease that were not previously thought to be linked to the condition.
Inhibiting these proteins in mice produced positive results, indicating that the proteins play a part in allowing the disease to develop.
"Knowing what proteins are most important at a discrete stage of the multiple sclerosis process is the first step toward being able to 'personalise' treatment," said Dr Lawrence Steinman from Stanford.
Researchers involved with the study, published in the journal Nature, compared samples from MS brain lesions taken in autopsy to identify protein changes through the three stages of the disease.
More than 400,000 people in the European Union are thought to have multiple sclerosis. The condition is caused by damage to the nerves in the central nervous system, which hinders communication between the brain and the body.
Click here to learn more about multiple sclerosis
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