Do you feel a cure for MS might be found soon?

Question:
Do you really feel a cure for MS might be found soon? Why is it so difficult?

Answer:
A cure for any disease is possible once we understand the cause(s) of the disease. This is the main problem with finding a cure for MS at this time. We have a limited understanding of the mechanisms resulting in brain tissue damage and have only a limited ability to modify this damage with current treatments, but a cure requires a lot more information. 

Think of infectious diseases; these were incurable until we understood what caused them (bacteria, virus, fungi and parasites) and how they damaged the body. Then we had to discover how to selectively kill the microorganism without hurting the human body. This process took over 100 years. As soon as scientists discovered antibiotics, microorganisms started to evolve further to avoid being killed by these early antibiotics. Today there is a huge industry just trying to keep up with the mutations in microorganisms that allow them to evade destruction by older antibiotics. There is probably a lesson to be learned here; once we find effective treatments for MS, we may need to modify these treatments over time

So to answer your question, I have no idea when we will find a cure. I am focused on just finding better treatments.

Revere (Rip) Kinkel MD
Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program
Professor of Clinical Neurosciences
University of California San Diego