Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks and damages the protective coating around nerve cells. This coating is made up of myelin – a biological membrane of protein and fatty substances – which is why research efforts to find the disease’s target antigen have so far focused on the myelin membrane’s components. New findings made by the research group of Mireia Sospedra and Roland Martin from the University of Zurich’s Clinical Research Priority Program Multiple Sclerosis now suggest that it is worth broadening the research perspective to gain a better understanding of the pathological processes.
