Genetic hope for MS and cancer patients
A short summary on the article published by Martyn McLaughlin, 20 April, 2009
http://news.scotsman.com/health/Genetic--hope-for-MS.5184449.jp
According to an article by Martyn McLaughlin, ‘Genetic hope for MS and cancer patients,’ on the 19th of April, 2009, the Roslin Institute of the University of Edinburgh released that there has been a significant discovery in the genetics involved in diseases such as MS and Cancer. The studies associated with the discovery were focused on the immune system and ‘macrophages.’ These white blood cells, in a healthy body, attack ‘non-self’ cells however, if uncontrollable growth starts, they can begin to attack the body itself. This results in diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer and emphysema.
The research showed that there are hundreds of master, or regulator, genes interacting in countless ways to cause these processes, rather than a very small number as previously believed. The variations in this network are believed to show how people can develop the disease in different ways and being able to find out how a tumour has developed will hopefully lead to the development of specified therapies. Professor David Hume, director of the Roslin Institute, said “we believe that this could lead to treatments and cures for many diseases of the immune system." Scientists hope that these findings will; mean they can identify weak spots in the gene structure to target, help doctors understand why immunotherapies only work on some patients and why people respond differently to pathogens, and lead to much more research to reveal an even deeper understanding.
Kimberley Tozer (42062510)
