Studies Show Certain Protein Could Benefit Multiple Sclerosis

To push the findings of the uveitis study further, researchers in a separate study tested the IL-12p35 subunit on a population of mice with multiple sclerosis. The hope was that in treating mice with multiple sclerosis, the subunit of IL-35 could be shown to have applications to all forms of autoimmune disorders. Such results would lead to further development of therapies to treat and possibly even reverse the symptoms of autoimmune disorders.

In untreated mice who are introduced to the model of multiple sclerosis, the immune cells attack and penetrate the brain and spinal cord, causing severe inflammation and permanent damage. After only a few days, mice can be paralyzed in all limbs, and unable to control their tails. Though the symptoms take a lifetime to progress in humans, the end results are similar, and permanent damage can lead to immobility and paralysis.