Boston Children's Hospital [BCH] is
reporting that they have
identified a specific type of immune cell, with clearly marked immune characteristics that seems to be responsible for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). From a BCH press release:
Quote:
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease affecting both adults and children. It's driven by "helper" T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord, degrading the protective myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers. But there are many different kinds of T helper cells, and up until now, no one knew which ones were the bad actors.
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have now pinpointed the specific helper T cells that cause MS, as well as a protein on their surface that marks them. As reported this week in PNAS, an antibody targeting this protein, CXCR6, both prevented and reversed MS in a mouse model.
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Using a mouse model they were able to "cure" the mouse of MS. Do NOT expect your doctor to have this cure soon as this is very preliminary but very exciting. Another example of why supporting basic science research is important. Interestingly this breakthrough is at a Children's hospital whereas MS is a predominately adult disease. Sadly this initial work was supported by your tax dollars via the NIH, but further research will be done by a newly created
private company, so new they have nothing on their website