Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Research led by scientists at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Copenhagen, Bristol and California (Berkeley) reveals the evolutionary origins of multiple sclerosis (MS). This new insight into the genetic architecture of this disease changes scientists’ view of its causes and has implications for its treatment, as well as paving the way for further investigations into other diseases.

Illustration of pathogens, the Bronze Age, DNA and attack on neurons (symbolising MS) © SayoStudio

Affecting 1 in 1,000 people, multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own brain and spinal cord. Northern Europe has the highest prevalence of MS in the world.

The new research published in Nature draws on analysis of the DNA of ancient human bones and teeth held in museum collections across Europe and Western Asia. It reveals that a major migration of pastoralist herders known as the Yamnaya people from from the Pontic Steppe (a region spanning parts of what are now Ukraine, South-West Russia and the West Kazakhstan) into Western Europe 5,000 years ago introduced genetic variants into the population.

These new variants provided an advantage to the people carrying them at the time, probably by providing protection against infectious diseases in their domesticated animals. In today's modern environment, however, these same genetic variants increase the risk of developing MS.

To show this, the research team compared data held in a unique gene bank of ancient DNA to the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing genetic, lifestyle and health information and biological samples from half a million UK participants. The research was funded by a €8M grant from the Lundbeck Foundation.

 

Read the full story on the  Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences website.