Study shows link between MS and spinal cord injuriesRSS Feed

White blood cells with virus and nerve protein receptors can be turned on to attack the nerve tissue in the spinal cord and the brain, according to recent research published in Nature Immunology.

Scientists from the University of Washington Department for Immunology conducted a study on mice that showed how Killer T cells, part of the body's immune system, can attack healthy nerve cells and destroy them, leading to multiple-sclerosis (MS) like effects.

MS is one of many autoimmune disorders that affects the body by the myelin - a protective sheath - being destroyed, resulting in a nerve signals no longer getting to different parts of the body.

The study revealed that a range of viruses can trigger the cells to attack healthy cells, and offers some insight into how the paralysing illness can be caused.

Joan Goverman, one of the study's authors, said: "Autoimmunity is believed to arise from an accidental breakdown in this tolerance of the body's own proteins. This breakdown is triggered by something in the environment, most likely a pathogen."

The study comes after a team of researchers from John Hopkins University in the US showed that the enzyme sialidase could help nerve re-growth following damage caused by spinal injuries.

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Posted by Timothy Walters

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