MS therapy research applying genome-wide RNA profiling of peripheral blood.

Abstract

MS is a multifactorial disease; its course and response to therapy is influenced by various genes. A goal of biomedical MS research is the discovery of sets of predisposing genes where differential expression predicts the disease course and outcome of drug therapy. Such knowledge would have direct consequences for selection, refinement and development of treatments. The genome-wide RNA profile of an individual represents one component of the comprehensive determination of disease and drug response-related elements; it serves as a large-scale approach. This work reviews the state of the art in MS therapy research applying genomewide screening methods at the transcriptome level in peripheral blood cells of humans.