Curing MS: How Science is Solving the Mysteries of Multiple Sclerosis

Science News, July 31, 2004

CURING MS: How Science Is Solving the Mysteries of Multiple Sclerosis HOWARD L. WEINER

Weiner's documentation of his 30-year-long quest to find the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), pinpoint a treatment, and discover a cure is not only a poignant examination of the research being conducted regarding this particular disease but also a solid overview of the nature of medical research in general. Affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and women's Hospital, Weiner has been in on the development of the most cutting-edge therapies for the disease. In these pages, he offers clear background about how scientists now understand the nature of MS in spite of the myriad ways in which the disease affects different people. Among the valuable research tools that Weiner highlights as particularly valuable in pushing forward MS research is magnetic resonance imaging. He provides a 21-point hypothesis on the cause and treatments of the disease that includes details of how those treatments work. in clear language, Weiner explains the field's major discoveries and describes the challenges still looming. All of this is set against the backdrop of how scientists work together, or sometimes don't, and the role that business, especially the pharmaceutical industry, plays in the scope and character of MS research. Crown, 2004, 309 p., hardcover, $24.95.