Researchers identify gene implicated in disorders affecting millions

Discovery may open the way for new treatments for multiple sclerosis, leukodystrophies

By Angela Yeager July 22, 2025 Portland, Oregon

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Swetha Murthy, Ph.D., assistant scientist at the Oregon Health & Science University Vollum Institute, has been designated as a 2023 McKnight Scholar, one of only 10 neuroscientists selected. (OHSU/Christine Torres Hicks)

Ben Emery, Ph.D. (OHSU)

Kelly Monk, Ph.D. (OHSU)

Researchers identify gene implicated in disorders affecting millions

OHSU researchers discover a gene that helps cells sense mechanical forces and plays a key role in how myelin forms during development. This image shows brain cells called oligodendrocytes -- the protective coating around nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord from a mouse model -- growing in a lab and wrapping around tiny nerve fibers. The myelin they produce is shown in pink, and their nuclei are shown in blue. (OHSU/Amanda Senatore)