Sheffield Hallam University seeks early diagnosis for MS

Sheffield Hallam University has begun a new three-year study, which it hopes will lead to a test for early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Led by Professor Nicola Woodroofe, head of The Biomedical Research Centre (BMRC) at Sheffield Hallam, the project will seek to determine whether specific modifications to amino acids in brain proteins may ultimately be responsible for the body's own immune system, attacking proteins found exclusively in the central nervous system.

"This study will further research the causes and crucial early stages of multiple sclerosis," said Professor Woodroofe. "Previous studies have recently provided evidence changed proteins may be found in people with MS - a vital clue to understanding causes of the disease."

A grant of £105,000 will fund a full-time PhD student over three years and associated research costs.

Using post mortem tissue samples from the UK MS Society Tissue Bank, MS patients and healthy controls, the BMRC will measure the levels of PAD enzymes (which produce the amino acid changes), the changed proteins themselves and the antibodies developed by patients. The researchers hope to find an antibody specific to people with MS.