In 2007, the International MS Genetics Consortium, which the National MS Society helped to create, published the results of a trailblazing study in which they analyzed 3,000 genetic samples - from 1,000 people with MS and their parents - in a quest to identify what they all had in common, gene-wise.
The consortium identified nearly a dozen such variations, and flat-out confirmed three of them.

Now the consortium has spawned two sub-groups, one based in England and one in the United States, which will take the next steps: two mammoth studies, each scrutinizing the DNA of 10,000 people who have MS and 10,000 who don't. That's a total of 40,000 samples, half to be collected in Europe and half in America. Since the first study of 3,000 samples involved the analysis and interpretation of more than 1.5 billion data points, another 12 billion data points are expected. All of them need to be examined to identify new risk factors in MS.....

For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : MS and Genetics Research - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1347