MS discovery hailed as major breakthrough

British scientists say they found way to repair damage caused by disease

British researchers said Monday they may have found a way to reverse damage in the central nervous system caused by multiple sclerosis, in a study hailed by campaigners as a major breakthrough.

The study by scientists at the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh has raised hopes of a new treatment within 15 years for the disabling neurological condition, which affects millions of people worldwide.

The team identified a mechanism essential to regenerating myelin sheaths -- the layers of insulation that protect nerve fibres in the brain -- and showed how it could be used to make the brain's own stem cells undertake this repair.

"Therapies that repair damage are the missing link in treating multiple sclerosis," said Robin Franklin, director of the MS Society's Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair at the University of Cambridge. "In this study we have identified a means by which the brain's own stem cells can be encouraged to undertake this repair, opening up the possibility of a new regenerative medicine for this devastating disease."

Britain's MS Society, which partly funded the research along with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in the United States, hailed the study and said it could lead to clinical trials within five years and treatment within 15 years.

"For people with MS this is one of the most exciting developments in recent years," said chief executive Simon Gillespie.

The research, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, identified a specific type of molecule called RXR-gamma, which appears to be important in promoting myelin repair.

The team found that stimulating RXR-gamma in rats encouraged the brain's own stem cells to regenerate myelin.

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