Detection of susceptibility genes for multiple sclerosis

多发性硬化是神经系统最常见的慢性疾病之一。它通常开始于年轻的成年人，并继续与严重残疾的情节，从部分恢复导致许多患者在行走，平衡，言语，膀胱控制和其他神经功能的困难。这种疾病给病人和社区带来了沉重的负担。目前没有预防性治疗，治疗费用昂贵（干扰素每年20，000美元）并且在阻止进一步损害方面的益处有限，并且在逆转现有损害方面没有益处。新的治疗方法将通过充分了解免疫系统如何攻击大脑导致MS来实现。MS中有一个很强的遗传成分，发现相关基因应该会加快对疾病原因的探索。拟议中的研究涉及英国剑桥大学协调的国际合作，其中将使用世界上最好的技术筛选整个人类基因组以寻找MS基因。这笔赠款的供资将使澳大利亚在涉及17个国家的这一合作中拥有平等的席位。没有一个国家能够招募到足够的患者，因此这项国际努力至关重要。预计对MS病因的了解将导致有效且副作用低的新治疗方法。

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common chronic diseases of the nervous system. It usually starts in young adulthood and continues with episodes of severe disability from which partial recovery leads in many patients to difficulties with walking, balance, speech, bladder control and other neurologic functions. The disease inflicts a severe burden on both patients and the community. There is currently no preventive treatment and therapy is expensive (interferon at $20,000 p.a.) and of limited benefit in stopping further damage and of no benefit in reversing existing damage. New treatments will come through a full understanding of how the immune system attacks the brain to cause MS. There is a strong inherited component in MS and the discovery of the genes responsible should speed up the quest to understand the cause of the disease. The proposed studies involve international collaboration co-ordinated from Cambridge University, UK, in which the entire human genome will be screened looking for the MS genes using world s best available technology. Funding of this grant will allow Australia an equal seat at the table for this collaboration involving 17 countries. No individual country can recruit enough patients and hence this international effort is essential. It is expected that the understanding of the cause of MS will lead to new treatments that are effective and with low side effects.