New MS (multiple sclerosis) genes could open doors to other risk factors:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Researchers have identified two new gene variants for multiple sclerosis (MS) that could pave the way to discovering more genetic factors for the disease. So believes a team from the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium, which released the findings this week. While the increased risk contributed by the two gene variants - IL2RA and IL7RA - is very low, and they cannot be considered a major factor for MS, it is thought that other variants might now be sought using the genome-scanning technique used to identify these initial variants. The findings appear in The New England Journal of Medicine and two related studies in of Nature Genetics (all July 29 advanced online publications).