Research Holds Promise For New Therapies And Better Prediction Of Patient Outcomes In Ms
- From: Tick <oltick@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:52:44 -0700 (PDT)
Early Research Holds Promise For New Therapies And Better Prediction
Of Patient Outcomes In Multiple Sclerosis
14 Sep 2009
A Mayo Clinic study has found that two genes in mice were associated
with good central nervous system repair in multiple sclerosis (MS).
These findings give researchers new hope for developing more effective
therapies for patients with MS and for predicting MS patients'
outcomes. This study was presented at the Congress of the European
Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in
Dusseldorf, Germany, on Sept. 11, 2009.
"Most MS genetic studies have looked at disease susceptibility -- or
why some people get MS and others do not," says Allan Bieber, Ph.D., a
Mayo Clinic neuroscientist and author of this study. "This study
asked, among those who have MS, why do some do well with the disease
while others do poorly, and what might be the genetic determinants of
this difference in outcome."
Mayo Clinic provides care for nearly 2,500 patients with MS each year.
MS is a disease of the central nervous system that includes the brain,
spinal cord and nerves. MS is called a demyelinating disease because
it results from damage to myelin, the insulating covering of nerves.
It occurs most commonly in those between the ages of 20 and 40, and is
the most frequent neurological disorder in young adults in North
America and Europe. Approximately 330,000 people in the United States
have MS. Symptoms include loss of muscle coordination, strength,
vision, balance and cognition.
Dr. Bieber and a team of Mayo Clinic researchers used two different
strains of mice with a chronic, progressive MS-like disease. One
strain progressed to paralysis and death. The other underwent the
initial damage induction phase of the disease and then spontaneously
repaired the damage to the central nervous system and retained most
neurologic function. Using the powerful genetic mapping techniques
that are available for mice, the team mapped two strong genetic
determinants of good disease outcome.
"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," says Dr. Bieber. "The genetic data indicates that good
central nervous system repair results from stimulation of one genetic
pathway and inhibition of another genetic pathway. 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."
According to Dr. Bieber, the research suggests that there may be a
small number of strong genetic determinants for central nervous system
repair following demyelinating disease, rather than a larger number of
weak determinants.
"If that's true, it may be possible to map the most important genetic
determinants of central nervous system repair in patients with MS and
define a reparative genotype that could predict patients' outcomes,"
says Moses Rodriguez, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist and director of
Mayo Clinic's Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Central Nervous System
Demyelinating Diseases Research and Therapeutics. "Such a diagnostic
tool would be a great benefit to patients with MS and is consistent
with the concepts of 'individualized medicine.'"
Also on the Mayo Clinic research team was Kanitta Suwansrinon, M.D.
Source:
Elizabeth Rice
Mayo Clinic
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Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163818.php
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