Gene found that helps combat MS [MORE: BBC NEWS]
A gene that helps to stave off the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been discovered by scientists. A Danish-UK team found that a known risk gene for MS, called DR2b, is always partnered by a twin gene - DR2a.

The researchers, writing in the journal Nature, said DR2a tempers the effects of the risk gene and reduces the severity of MS symptoms.

They believe in the future the gene's symptom-fighting features could be exploited for potential treatments.

There are about 85,000 people with MS in the UK.

The precise cause of the disease, in which the body's immune system attacks the central nervous system, is unknown, but a range of genetic and environmental factors are being explored.

Two-thirds of MS sufferers carry the pair of DR2 genes, but carrying the genes does not necessarily mean a person will go on to develop MS.....