Abstract

Susceptibility to multiple sclerosis is jointly determined by genetic and environmental factors, and progress has been made in defining some of these genetic associations, as well as their possible interactions with the environment. However, definitive proof for the involvement of specific genetic determinants in the disease will only come from studies that examine their functional roles in disease pathogenesis. New and combined approaches are needed to analyse the complexity of gene regulation and the functional contribution of each genetic determinant to disease susceptibility or pathophysiology. These studies should proceed in parallel with the use of genetically defined human populations to explore how both genetic and environmental factors affect the function of the pathways in individuals with and without disease, and how these determine the inherited risk of multiple sclerosis.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Clinical Neurology, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom.
2. MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom.
3. Clinical Institute, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby Sygehus, 8200 N Aarhus, Denmark.
4. Institut für Neuroimmunologie und Klinische Multiple Sklerose-Forschung, Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany.

Correspondence to: Lars Fugger^1,3 Email: lars.fugger@imm.ox.ac.uk

Correspondence to: John I. Bell² Email: regius@medsci.ox.ac.uk

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.