By knocking out the mouse 's own Class II genes, he anticipates that all of the immune responses in the DQ6 transgenic mouse will likely mimic those found in humans. Dr. Elliott will use the transgenic animals to study the immune response to various myelin proteins. The characterization of these responses will lead to specific reagents that could then be used to investigate similar types of responses in MS patients who carry the HLA-DQ6 gene. In MS the immune system attacks myelin, a complex material that forms a sheath around the axons of nerve fibres in the central nervous system. Nearly 50,000 Canadians have MS, which makes this country a high-risk area for this unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.
Myelin is important to the transmission of nerve impulses through nerve fibres.