Gut microbiome modulation: potential mechanism uncovered for the treatment of multiple sclerosis

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (MA, USA) have discovered that levels of a specific miRNA increase during peak disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) and in untreated MS patients. The study, published in Cell Host & Microbe, indicated that when a synthetic version of the miRNA was orally administered to the mice, it prevented disease.  “We’ve discovered a new mechanism to regulate the microbiome and treat human disease that hadn’t been know before,” commented senior author Howard Weiner (Brigham and Women’s Hospital). In order to investigate how the composition of the gut microbiome affects the course...