Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that is currently incurable. But scientists at Radboudumc now seem to have come closer to finding a medicine that could possibly cure the disease.
MS is a disease in which the protective layer around the cranial nerves is damaged, so that nerves are less and less able to communicate with each other. As a result, M patients have more and more difficulty walking, seeing or feeling. There are 17,000 MS patients in the Netherlands. The disease is three times more common in women.
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The researchers focused on families in which the disease occurs. DNA of sick relatives was compared with the DNA of healthy relatives. During the research, a striking discovery was made:an abnormality was found in the MBP gene, a gene that produces protein that is important for the protective layer around the nerves.
According to researcher Geert Poelmans, the MBP gene error may be at the root of MS. In addition, several genes have been found that make proteins and that contain errors.
Thanks to this discovery, a more targeted search can now be made for medication that can prevent the breakdown of the protective layer around the nerves.
Source:RTLnieuws.nl
