A genetic variant in the WNT9B gene and vitamin D response are both associated with a greater risk of relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study in Belgium has found. The study, “Genetic variation in WNT9B increases relapse hazard in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal…

A genetic variant associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) due to its impact on certain immune system cells can also affect brain cells called astrocytes, a study shows. Reported in the study, “Enhanced astrocyte responses are driven by a genetic risk allele associated with multiple…

A genetic variant close to a gene called interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) may help to predict those multiple sclerosis (MS) patients most at risk of liver injury while using interferon-beta therapies, a study reports. The study, “Common variation near IRF6 is associated with IFN-β-induced liver injury in multiple sclerosis” was published…

A variation in a gene that likely promoted resistance to malaria in Sardinia may have increased the risk of people there developing autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study, “Overexpression of the Cytokine BAFF and Autoimmunity Risk,” was published in The…

Researchers in Russia found for a first time an association between variants in GAL, a gene that codes for the galanin protein, and multiple sclerosis (MS). Importantly, they also found that this association is sex specific. The study, “Single-nucleotide polymorphism rs948854 in human galanin gene and multiple sclerosis: a…

Researchers detected the expression of the gene ANKRD55  in immune cells, a gene that has been previously linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice models of the disease. The results suggest a potential role of ANKRD55 in MS pathogenesis. The study, “Novel Insights into the Multiple Sclerosis Risk Gene ANKRD55,”…

Two new risk factors for multiple sclerosis have been identified by a research group at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Led by Dr. Loukas Moutsianas, the team discovered that having HLA-DQA1*01:01–HLA-DRB1*15:01 and HLA-DQB1*03:01–HLA-DQB1*03:02 gene allele…

A team led by researchers at San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Italy and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts recently revealed a new genetic variant linked to multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is entitled “A pharmacogenetic study implicates SLC9a9 in multiple sclerosis disease activity” and is published in…