Discovery paves way for multiple sclerosis treatments

Typically, people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s, and it is more common in women than men.

Although the cause has so far been a mystery, the disease causes the body’s immune system to attack myelin — the fatty ‘sheaths’ which protect nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

This leads to brain damage, a reduction in blood supply and oxygen and the formation of lesions in the body. Symptoms can be wide-ranging, and can include muscle spasms, mobility problems, pain, fatigue, and problems with speech.

Scientists have long suspected that mitochondria, the energy-creating ‘powerhouse’ of the cell, plays a link in causing multiple sclerosis.

Using human brain tissue samples, researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Alberta found a protein called Rab32 is present in large quantities in the brains of people with MS but is virtually absent in healthy brain cells.

Where Rab32 is present, the team discovered that a part of the cell which stores calcium gets too close to the mitochondria.

The resulting miscommunication with the calcium supply triggers the mitochondria to misbehave, ultimately causing toxicity for brain cells in people with MS.

Researchers do not yet know what causes an unwelcome influx of Rab32 but they believe the defect could originate at the base of the cell.

The finding will enable scientists to search for effective treatments that target Rab32 and embark on determining whether there are other proteins which could pay a role in triggering MS.

Professor Paul Eggleton, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “Multiple sclerosis can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, affecting mobility, speech, mental ability and more.

“So far, all medicine can offer is treatment and therapy for the symptoms — as we do not yet know the precise causes, research has been limited.

“Our exciting new findings have uncovered a new avenue for researchers to explore. It is a critical step, and in time, we hope it might lead to effective new treatments for MS,” he said.

The research has been published as part of MS Awareness Week. The paper, Rab32 connects ER stress to mitochondrial defects in multiple sclerosis, is published in the journal Neuroinflammation.

Multiple sclerosis sufferers have welcomed a potential breakthrough in finding treatments for the devastating condition.

Trish Deykin loved her job as a crime scene investigator when she began to experience unexplained symptoms that increasingly interfered with her work. She was 28 when she first encountered pins and needles which made touching water agony.

As symptoms worsened she was encouraged by family and friends at see a specialist and was diagnosed with MS.

She had to take early retirement at 36 and she moved back to Devon in England, from Sussex to be near her family.

“I was absolutely gutted to retire. It was my dream job I’d worked so hard to get there,” she said. Taking life at a slower pace has made a big difference.

“I feel my symptoms have levelled out now and I hope it stays that way. With MS, you never know what’s around the corner,” she said.