Multiple sclerosis marker identified:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A new marker for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been identified by an Italian-German research team. The protein marker, CD39, is thought to completely disappear in patients with the disease. CD39 is found on the surface of a subgroup of protective immune cells - suppressor cells - which are strikingly reduced in MS patients. In normal individuals, CD39 is thought to curb inflammation in the central nervous system during the course of the disease. The research team, based at the Fondazione Santa Lucia, in Rome, Italy, and the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine, in Berlin-Buch, Germany, hopes that the future will show whether the marker will become clinically useful. The findings appear in the August 15 issue of Blood.