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Scientists find way to stop multiple sclerosis
Press Trust Of India
London, April 25, 2011
First Published: 16:26 IST(25/4/2011)
Last Updated: 16:33 IST(25/4/2011)
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In a major breakthrough in the battle against multiple sclerosis (MS), scientists claim to have identified a chemical that triggers the devastating disease and also found a way to stop it in its tracks.

Researchers at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, found that an immune system chemical,
called GM-CSF, is the "driving force" behind the debilitating condition that affects over 2.5 million people worldwide.

MS is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, or the central nervous system. The condition, which can cause blindness and paralysis, has no cure at present and drugs are not suitable for all.

multiple sclerosisBut the Swiss researchers claimed that an antibody, which they tested on mice with a MS-like condition, was found to be very effective in countering GM-CSF and improved their health, the Daily Mail reported.

Although the experiments were on mice, the researchers said they were "quietly optimistic" that a similar approach would help people with MS. The first trials on patients are planned for later this year.

In the healthy body, the researchers said, GM-CSF is part of the defence against disease, attacking viruses and other invaders. But in MS, it triggers a series of reactions that culminate in "scavenger cells" destroying myelin -- the fatty protective sheath around nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord -- which disrupts the transmission of messages from the brain.

Professor Burk-hard Becher, who led the study, said: "It is relatively easy to stop mice from getting the disease, so we waited until they had the disease and were pretty sick.

"This is similar to the clinical situation -- patients don't go to the doctor because they think they might get MS, they go when they have MS."

The drug was also given to mice whose disease was similar to the most common form of MS, in which relapses are followed by periods of remission. Mopping up the GM-CSF prevented any further relapses, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Immunology.

Prof Becher said: "We are extremely hopeful but whether this form of therapy will actually help MS patients remains to be seen. Quiet optimism is the way to go.

"I am not sure this is going to work in patients but, based on the mouse data, I believe GM-CSF is a good thing to target." Another study on MS, from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, also pointed the finger at GM-CSF.

Although the chemical was known to play a role in MS, its pivotal contribution was not understood until now. Dr Doug Brown, of the MS Society, said: "This is a very interesting development in research for a condition where there are limited treatment options and no cure.

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Gerry Armour
Don't you Dare

Don't you dare assume because I look well
That I feel well. Looks can be
very deceiving. Many days I look
great but I feel terrible.

Don't you dare ask me how I feel unless you
really want to know. You may hear
a lot more than you are prepared
to listen to.

Don't you dare to tell me you know how I feel.
No-one knows how anyone else feels.
Two people with the same disease may
feel totally different.

Don’t you dare tell me
“ It could be worse.”
Yes, it could be
But I don’t need to be reminded.

Don’t you dare to decide what I am capable of doing.
Allow ME to decide what activities I can do.
There may be times I make the wrong
Decision, and if I do I’ll know it soon
enough.

Don’t you dare to be upset that I
cannot ease my problems.It won’t do any
good for any of us to be
miserable.

Don’t you dare to assume that because I
did a certain activity yesterday
that I can do it again today.
MS is ever changing.

Do realise that I am angry and
frustrated with this disease –
NOT WITH YOU.

Gerry Armour

Don't Smoke

Smoking Makes Multiple Sclerosis Worse
ms.about.com
Smoking has been shown to increase risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), but until recently, the impact of smoking on MS disability and progression was unknown. Research now shows that smoking speeds progression from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis to secondary-progressive MS.