MONDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) — There may be two types of multiple sclerosis and each may respond differently to treatment with the first-line drug commonly prescribed for the condition, new research suggests.

Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who take the popular drug, known as interferon beta, overall effectiveness is only fair, with about half of all patients experiencing an average one-third reduction in recurrences, according to researchers at Stanford University.

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In this study, which was performed in mice and human blood samples, investigators focused on two cytokines called gamma interferon and IL-17. Cytokines are chemicals used by immune cells to communicate.

The researchers found that treatment interferon beta benefited mice with MS induced by gamma-interferon-secreting T cells but worsened symptoms in mice with MS induced by IL-17-secreting T cells.

read the rest via Discovery May Lead to Better Multiple Sclerosis Treatments – BusinessWeek.

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