Multiple Sclerosis study expected to soon start producing ‘powerful results’ – Irish Examiner

A landmark study which seeks to identify our risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and how we might respond to treatment has recruited 2,000 patients and is at the point where it should soon start producing powerful results.

Thats according to consultant neurologist Brian Sweeney, who is overseeing the clinical side of the study at Cork University Hospital (CUH), one of a number of Irish sites taking part in the most comprehensive genomic study of MS ever undertaken on the island of Ireland.

We need 2,000 patients to start getting good data and we are getting there now. The geneticists have done interim analysis of different samples and are getting to the point where we should start getting powerful results, Dr Sweeney said.

He said they know the genes linked to MS are those that control the immune system, but they don't know exactly how many such genes are involved.

Each of us has approximately 21,000 genes in our genome and some of us have risk genes for MS. We are looking at all of the patterns found in DNA and we are hoping the study will help us identify which genes contribute to the overall risk. The DNA code has billions of combinations within each of us and that is why large numbers of people are required to look for those 'needles in the haystack'.

It will be down to multiple genes and how they interact with each other and with the environment in which we live, ie, the external factors that might trigger MS in a vulnerable person, Dr Sweeney said.

The study, led by life sciences company Genomics Medicine Ireland Ltd (GMI), is seeking to recruit 6,000 participants for its research which has been enrolling across Ireland, north and south including at CUH and St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin. Dr Sweeney said they need large numbers to take part to be certain about their findings.

He said while some diseases were caused by a single gene mutation, such as Huntington Disease, others were likely polygenetic which is much more complex to decipher.

We dont know the exact smoking gun. It hasnt been a simple disease to figure out, despite the fact that there is a genetic component in that MS is more common in close relatives of those who are affected.

There are likely hundreds of different genes involved, where each gene on its own is not the only cause, but contributes to the overall risk.

Dr Sweeney said they are hoping the study will answer questions such as why some people develop MS, what the lifestyle or environmental triggers may be, why some people get a mild form and others a severe form of the disease and why women in their early 30s are particularly susceptible.

The project is seeking to recruit 6,000 people with MS on the island, with a view to identifying the genetic markers that can help diagnose, predict disease severity, and identify personalised treatments for patients.

People with MS who are interested in participating, can ask their consultant for more information, Dr Sweeney said.

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Multiple Sclerosis study expected to soon start producing 'powerful results' - Irish Examiner