Scientists have uncovered a gene variant which explains why anti-TNFs don?t work for patients with multiple sclerosis.
A once-promising class of drugs has been found to be inefficient on MS patients. Anti-TNFs work for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, but a genetic variant linked to MS means the drugs will not work for people with the condition.
Researchers at Oxford University have published their findings in Nature, explaining that the drugs can actually make symptoms worse. Aside from being a significant finding in relation to MS, the results also highlight that a person?s genetic make-up could affect how they responded to treatment.
The team focused specifically on a genetic variant found in a gene called TNFRSF1A, which has previously been associated with the risk of developing MS. They found that gene variant prevents it from triggering signals, which is essentially the same thing that TNF blocking drugs do.
This explains the results of a study conducted ten years ago which found the drugs make MS patients significantly worse and exacerbate the disease. Professor Lars Fugger of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, who led the work, said: ?The hope has been that analyses of the whole human genome would lead to findings that are clinically relevant.
?We show that this is possible. It?s one of the first such examples, certainly in autoimmune disease.?
The research also reveals that the effects of genetic variants influencing disease risk or resistance can be amplified by drugs. This is something that may have been overlooked in the past, and it will be an important development for using genetic findings in a medical context, professor Fugger explained.
Nick Rijke, director of policy and research at the MS Society, said: ?There are many genes associated with MS, but we know little about the role they play or the influence they have on the condition.
?This important study has shown that some of your genes can play a part in deciding whether or not you respond to a treatment.?
trayvon martin obama care miss universe canada don draper gallagher madmen james cameron
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন