To protect us from infection we have an immune system that can respond quickly to outside dangers.  Unfortunately sometimes the immune system attacks our own cells.  Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an auto-immune disease, usually of young adults and commonly women, resulting from the body attacking its own central nervous system.  Although some therapies have proven helpful, a cure has not yet been developed for this serious disease.
Research on Experimental Autoimmune Encephalitis (EAE) in marmosets, a disease very similar to MS, is helping understanding of why paralysis develops in MS. In two recent studies (Jagessar, J. Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology 2008, Kap J. Immunol. 2008) we show  that activation of immune T cells that recognise the glycoprotein MOG are essential for the development of paralysis, and that Natural-Killer-like cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (NK-CTL) aimed against MOG peptide 34-56 are the main cause of EAE.  We can now investigate potential medical approaches to prevent or alleviate this critical process in disease development.