Researchers trying to find a way to treat multiple sclerosis think they've come up with an approach that could not only help patients with MS, but those with a range of so-called autoimmune diseases, from type-1 diabetes to psoriasis, and perhaps even food allergies.

So far it's only worked in mice, but it has worked especially well. And while mice are different from humans in many ways, their immune systems are quite similar.

"If this works, it is going to be absolutely fantastic," said Bill Heetderks at the National Institutes of Health, which helped pay for the research. "Even if it doesn't work, it's going to be another step down the road."

Now the researchers are looking for funding so they can test this new approach in people. They're in discussions with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to test it in people with type-1 diabetes, and the Myelin Repair Foundation to test it in MS patients.

(READ the story from NBC News)