speeds MS diagnosis by defining
no fewer than 79 “red flags” that
would point away from an MS
diagnosis. Multiple Sclerosis
2008 Nov; 14[ 9]:1157–74
In another significant contribution, Dr. Weinshenker has
vastly improved the diagnosis of a
disorder that had previously been
regarded as a severe form of MS,
neuromyelitis optica (NMO, also
known as Devic’s syndrome). His
team, including Dean Winger-chuk, MD, carefully observed
how this disease behaved in 70
people. They made new observations on MRI scans and in spinal
fluid, and established new criteria
that very effectively distinguished
NMO from typical MS.
Neurology 1999;53:1107–14
Going further, together with
team member Vanda Lennon,
MD, PhD, they even found a
biomarker that identifies NMO.
The Lancet 2004;364:2106–12.
It is an antibody that attaches to
a protein. Aquaporin- 4 regulates the flow of water in brain
cells and can cause a cascade of
destructive inflammation.
Now, a positive result on a
simple blood test can help a
neurologist to identify people at
risk for NMO early in the course
of the disease, and get them on
the right treatment. “Finding the
biomarker helped us to figure out
how to treat people with NMO,”
said Dr. Weinshenker. “They
don’t respond to interferons and
other standard MS treatments,
but do to immunosuppressive
About the John Dystel Prize
In 1994, Oscar Dystel, National Board of Directors honorary life
member, and his late wife, Marion, established the John Dystel
Multiple Sclerosis Research Fund to honor their son, John,
a lawyer whose promising career was cut short by progressive MS and who ultimately died in June of 2003. The fund
provides for the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis
Research, which is given to a scientist who has made significant contributions to the understanding, treatment, or prevention of MS. A legend in the publishing world, Oscar Dystel
also established the John Dystel Nursing Fellowship, which
trains registered nurses specifically in MS care. John’s sister
Jane—a literary agent and active volunteer for the National
MS Society—is continuing the family’s tradition by joining her
father in promoting research for a cure and efforts to improve
care for people living with severe MS. A third generation has
also begun participating. Jane’s son, Zachary, contributed gifts
he received for his bar mitzvah to the Society.
The $15,000 John Dystel Prize for MS Research, given jointly
by the National MS Society and the American Academy of
Neurology, has been awarded every year since 1995. To learn
more, visit
nationalmssociety.org/dystelprizewinners.
medicines like azathioprine.”
“This discovery of the tar-
get of the immune attacks in
NMO, and the lab test that
resulted, brings hope that we will
be equally successful in doing
the same for MS,” commented
Timothy Coetzee, PhD, chief
research officer of the National
MS Society.
Looking behind the scenes
As a clinician-scientist, Dr.
Weinshenker is also at home in
the lab, examining the genetic
underpinnings of MS. Together
with Orhun Kantarci, MD, his
team found that more women
had variations in the gene that
instructs interferon gamma, a
molecule that ratchets up the
immune attack in MS. The
genetic variations were associ-
ated with different levels of
production of interferon gamma
by immune cells. This obser-
vation may partially explain
why fewer men have MS than
women. Genes and Immunity
2005;6:153–61, Archives of
Neurology 2008;65:349–357
His team also is trying to identify
gene mutations that may lead to
the development of NMO.
