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Dateline:  March 2, 2000

Area Doctor Receives Grant For Study Into Viral Infection And The Onset Of Multiple Sclerosis

Day after day, scientists chip away at the many mysterious aspects of multiple sclerosis. Some work trying to find a cure, others work on easing the effects of the disease, while others strive to find the causes of MS. One of those striving to find the cause of MS is local resident and member of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine staff Susan Hingley, PhD. Hingley was recently awarded a $27,500 grant by the National MS Society to research persistent virus in brain and spinal cord cells of mice with a viral disease resembling MS. Her study, titled "Use of dendrimer probes to examine demyelinating disease induced by MHV-A59" could provide a powerful new tool for studying whether multiple sclerosis is triggered by persistent viral infection.

The possibility that the immune attack against nerve-insulating myelin in multiple sclerosis is triggered by a viral infection is not a new theory, but the complex nature of the autoimmune system has made getting results an arduous task. Dr. Hingley is using a new, highly sensitive technique called dendrimer probes to locate the tiny virus's genes in specific cells of the brain and spinal cord of mice infected with murine hepatitis virus, a myelin destroying disease like MS. Prior to the development of the new technique, no viral particles could be detected using conventional methods in affected mice.

To find out more about the newest advances in MS research, refer to the National MS Society's web site at www.nationalmssociety.org.

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