MS Researcher Profile - Dr. Thomas Forsthuber
The biggest
question in multiple sclerosis is, why does the body turn on itself and
attack the protective insulation around nerves as a dangerous invader?
Short of knowing why, Dr. Thomas Forsthuber is content to figure out how — and better still, how to stop it.
“You need a series of unfortunate events to develop the disease, an
unfortunate constellation,” said Forsthuber, professor of immunology at
the University of Texas at San Antonio’s South Texas Center for
Emerging Infectious Diseases. “We’re trying to understand how.”
In multiple sclerosis, the body’s natural defenses damage and scar the
protective myelin sheath — layers of fat and protein — that surrounds
nerves, interrupting their signals like a frayed electrical wire. The
first symptoms of the disease often are vision problems, followed by
muscle weakness, difficulty with coordination and balance, pain and
numbness.
Most patients have mild or moderate forms of
the disease, with symptoms that come and go, but some are left unable
to write, speak or walk. About 400,000 Americans have MS, which is
usually diagnosed in people between ages 20 and 40.
Forsthuber brought his work to UTSA a little over a year ago from Case
Western Reserve University in Cleveland after 15 years of studying MS
and other autoimmune disorders. In August he received his third career
research grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to continue
his work.
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