Identifying genes that influence clinical course and susceptibility in multiple sclerosis

该项目旨在确定多发性硬化症(MS)的遗传基础，多发性硬化症是澳大利亚年轻人最常见的神经系统疾病。多发性硬化症迫切需要研究来识别易感性，帮助早期诊断，并为新的治疗方法提供真正的分子靶点。这将使多发性硬化症患者和易感人群受益。确定的关键新知识将有助于MS研究的其他主要领域，包括流行病学、免疫学和神经生物学。澳大利亚8个主要机构的合作对这个项目和未来的研究也很重要。该团队将获得一个新的国家多发性硬化症基因库(平台)，其中包含来自2240名患者的样本，这些样本应该会产生对全球多发性硬化症遗传知识重要的发现。

This project aims to identify the genetic basis of multiple sclerosis (MS), the most common neurologic disease in young Australian adults. MS urgently needs research to identify predisposition, aid early diagnosis and provide bona fide molecular targets for new therapies. This will benefit people with MS and those susceptible to it. Crucial new knowledge identified will benefit other major areas of MS research including epidemiology, immunology and neurobiology. Collaboration of 8 major Australian institutions is also important for this project and future studies. The team will have access to a new national MS GeneBank (platform) with samples from 2240 patients that should generate findings important to world-wide MS genetic knowledge.