Hope for MS sufferers as Scottish scientist nears breakthrough

An Edinburgh scientist is nearing a breakthrough that will revolutionize the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and change the lives of generations of future sufferers.

Edinburgh University's Professor Charles French-Constant, whose work has largely been funded with £2 million from the author JK Rowling, below, is working on a way of using stem cells to halt the deterioration of sufferers.

He is carrying out tests on mice and rats to try to find a way of using the cells to repair damage to the brain. Combined with the earliest possible detection of MS in patients, Prof French-Constant's work offers the best hope of eradicating its devastating effect on patients.

He recently appeared in a documentary made by journalist and MS sufferer Elizabeth Quigley, who sees his tests as a possible "cure", although sadly for future generations rather than herself. Prof French-Constant, head of the Edinburgh University Centre for Translational Research, is reluctant to talk so boldly, but is confident that progress can be made in combating the disease which affects about 10,000 Scots.

He said: "We need to identify targets – molecules that contribute to the repair process in the brain. We have identified one interesting new candidate and are progressing with that, as well as trying to identify others."Once we have a positive target we have to see if it is present in patients with MS, we can't assume that just because it's worked on rats and mice.

This means a treatment being available to patients in the UK is likely to be ten or 15 years away, although, for many people living with a history of MS in their family that will be a comforting thought.

Where MS comes from and what triggers it remains a mystery, but it is believed to be at least partly hereditary. It is sometimes known as the "Scottish disease" as this country has the highest concentration in the world. It can also be found abroad in areas which have a large Scottish community. Countries with similar latitude to Scotland also have high rates of MS, suggesting that temperature or sunlight could be a factor, and childhood illnesses are also common among sufferers who develop MS in later life.