Multiple Sclerosis
A prospective new method of treating patients with multiple sclerosis has been proposed by researchers of the Mainz University Medical Center working in cooperation with researchers of the University of Montreal. In model trials and experiments employing human endothelial cells, they discovered that the EGFL7 protein hinders the migration of immune cells into the central nervous system by stabilizing the blood-brain barrier. These findings have recently been published in Nature Communications.
The autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common disorders that cause disabilities in young adults in industrialized countries. In MS, the body’s own immune system attacks the central nervous system (CNS). Immune cells (T cells) cross the blood-brain barrier, i.e., the physiological barrier between the blood circulatory system and the CNS, enter the brain, and damage the protective covering of the nerve fibers, the myelin layer. This results in the degeneration and loss of function of nerve cells and leads to neurological disability-related symptoms.
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