b"Medicine & ResearchDoctors NotesTheMSNewscolumnincludesanalysisfromBen Thrower, M.D., MS Focus senior medical advisor.Dr. Thrower draws from the top news stories of thequarter and explains what the news means to you,the person with MS.Targeting subset of T cells prevents, When the team used monoclonal antibodiesreverses MS in mice to target CXCR6, the harmful cells largelyA new study pinpoints the specic cells disappeared, and mice that were primed tothat cause demyelination in MS, as well as a get MS did not develop the disease. protein on their surface that marks them. An The ndings were published in the journalantibody targeting the marked cells both PNAS.prevented and reversed MS in a mouse model. Dr. Thrower: Each year it seems we move oneIf the findings bear out in human studies, step closer to having the mystery of MStargeting these rogue T cells could eectively unraveled. Hopefully, this new research willtreat MS, the researchers believe. let us take a giant step in the direction of a cure.T helper cells in general have been known Rather than blindly suppressing the immuneto drive MS, coordinating the attack on the system, as was done years ago to slow theprotective myelin sheath that covers nerve immune attack of MS, we need to nd thebers. Recent studies have pointed to TH17 specic cells that are driving the demyelinationcells. The new study by researchers at Boston and axonal transection. The identication ofChildren's Hospital zeroed in on a subset of a subset of Th17 cells in the mouse model isTH17-derivedcells,allbearingtheCXCR6 promising. Its also encouraging that themarker. These cells are fast-proliferating and researchers looked for clues that these cellsvery damaging, producing one set of proteins may be an issue in humans with autoimmunethat directly damage cells and others, including diseases as well. The next step will be humanGM-CSF, that stimulate an inflammatory safety and dosing studies.attack by other immune cells known as New study pinpoints cell types aectedmacrophages. in the brains of MS patientsTo investigate whether CXCR6-positive cells Scientists from the University of Cambridge,are relevant in human disease, the researchersworked with physicians, to obtain samples of University of Heidelberg, and University ofsynovial uid from patients with inammatory California, San Francisco, discovered that aautoimmune arthritis. They found elevated specicbraincellknownasaprojectionlevels of CXCR6+ cells in the inamed joints. neuron has a central role to play in the brainIn contrast, circulating blood from the arthritis changes seen in multiple sclerosis. Thepatients did not have elevated CXCR6+ cells. research shows that projection neurons areNor did the blood of patients with MS or from damaged by the bodys own immune cells,healthy controls. and that this damage could underpin the brain57 msfocusmagazine.org"