Scott Johnson President and Founder

July 30, 2007

New Knowledge about MS

Over the past few days we have received a number of emails and phone calls from friends and supporters about the latest news regarding advances in understanding the genetics related to MS. The first thing I will say about the news is that it is good news. Any discovery that will further our understanding of MS is important and should be acknowledged.

The big question on the minds of those who have written to us though is, "Is this progress significant with respect to delivering a cure for MS?" As those who suffer from MS and other chronic diseases know, new scientific discoveries appear in the news with some frequency. In the case of MS, as one of this study's principal investigators was quoted as saying, each of these discoveries offers yet another piece of the massive, complicated puzzle that scientists, ours and others, have been investigating for many, many years.  This particular investigation has been in the making since the 1970s. And the breakthrough we are reading about today is the result of advances in technology that simply did not exist at that time. And finally, as significant  as this latest news is, what scientists know today is still very far removed from a cure. In fact, efforts related to gene studies and MS are directed toward predicting and preventing the disease. The implications for treating or curing MS with gene  therapies that may come from these findings is uncertain at best.

We share the hope with many who have written us that what has been learned will be part of the MS solution for generations to come. But we continue to believe that myelin repair remains the greatest opportunity for improving the quality of life for those who suffer from disease today.

Sincerely,
Scott Johnson
President and Founder