ADAMS

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Genetic Association study in individuals of Diverse Ancestral backgrounds with Multiple Sclerosis (ADAMS)

• IRAS ID

  297416

• Contact name

  Ruth Dobson

• Contact email

  ruth.dobson@qmul.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Queen Mary University of London (Queen Mary)

• Duration of Study in the UK

  10 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disorder of the brain and spinal cord which affects about 1 in 1000 people worldwide. In people with MS (pwMS), the immune system attacks the lining of nerve cells (myelin), leading to 'attacks' of disability which can last days-months, and a gradual accumulation of disability over time. Although there are many effective treatments for MS, there is still no cure. MS was previously thought to almost exclusively affect White people, but recent evidence suggests this is untrue: in the USA, the number of newly-diagnosed people with MS is now higher among African American individuals than individuals of White European ancestry.
  
  Most of our understanding of how genes contribute to MS risk comes from studies of individuals of European descent. The largest genetic association study to date revealed over 200 sites in the genome associated with MS, but it remains unclear whether these insights - from an exclusively European cohort - apply to individuals from different ethnic backgrounds. Understanding how genes contribute to MS risk in different populations has important implications for predicting, preventing, and treating MS among individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds. In addition, as individuals of African ancestry tend to have a more aggressive disease course than individuals of European ancestry, understanding the genetic basis for this difference may help to explain what causes and drives MS progression in all individuals.

  In this study, we aim to define the genetic architecture of MS in individuals of non-European ancestry, and contrast these findings with previous findings from White European individuals. We anticipate that this research will advance our understanding of what causes MS in individuals of non-European ancestry, and may have important implications for our understanding of the causes of MS more broadly.

• REC name

  London - South East Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  21/PR/1289

• Date of REC Opinion

  27 Oct 2021

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion