The Latest Paper from Cracking the MS Code

Our latest paper, published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine, shows that antibodies directed against bacteria do occur in the spinal fluid of MS patients. The paper details a cerebrospinal fluid serological study that supports the idea that some of the MS candidate microbes we’ve identified contribute to demyelination in some patients.
 
A number of infections of the central nervous system can lead to demyelination: distemper in dogs, and measles in human are just two examples. The underlying risk factors and mechanisms for microbe-driven demyelination are poorly understood, since they occur unpredictably and at variable rates. At Cracking the MS Code, we work to uncover the ways in which our “MS suspects”—Akkermansia, Atopobium, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus and others—may trigger antibodies directed against bacteria in the brain and/or spinal fluid. We appreciate your interest in our research.
 
The work for this study was done at the University of Utah with help from ARUP Laboratories, Intermountain Health Care, and Dutch researcher Jon Laman. Future research will help establish if this new test—the spinal fluid antibody test—can help improve the treatment of MS patients. That is our ultimate goal.
 
Link to paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00109-021-02085-z#citeas