THE ROLE OF ADHESION MOLECULES IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS - BIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS AND THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) remains a major challenge to basic and clinica l research. Some of the pivotal immune mechanisms operating in this ch ronic inflammatory disease have recently been characterized but develo pment of more satisfactory treatment still requires a better understan ding of the pathogenesis and immunopathology of MS. Adhesion molecules are known to be of fundamental importance in autoimmune disease, and a variety of new therapeutic approaches to target them have emerged in the past few years; they should open new avenues to improve the outco me of this disabling disease.