{
  "id": 2921798,
  "title": "Tiny fish could unlock new MS drugs. Brexit is getting in the way.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/tiny-fish-could-unlock-new-ms-drugs-brexit-is-getting-in-the-way",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-23T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/tiny-fish-could-unlock-new-ms-drugs-brexit-is-getting-in-the-way/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scotland grapples with high rates of multiple sclerosis (MS), and Edinburgh's scientists are using tiny zebrafish to unlock potential new treatments. However, Brexit is hindering their progress due to visa restrictions. University of Edinburgh neurobiology professor David Lyons is studying zebrafish, which can regenerate their nervous system, much like humans. But the difficulty of obtaining visas post-Brexit is causing bottlenecks for top experts to collaborate with the team. Lyons, who is researching MS, said that in the past, they could easily attract scientists from Germany to work on MS projects at Edinburgh. Now, it is extremely difficult and costly. Scottish Innovation and Tertiary Education Minister Ben Macpherson called the U.K. government's one-size-fits-all approach to immigration particularly damaging, especially for Scotland. He has called for a tailored immigration program for Scotland, including in a letter to a then-parliamentary under-secretary of state for Scotland. The U.K. government has dismissed suggestions of a Scottish-based visa scheme, stating that all income from visa fees will be used to build a migration system that reduces reliance on taxpayer funding. However, scientists are hopeful that their zebrafish research could lead to breakthrough treatments for MS, which currently has no cure.",
  "summary": "A small fish that can repair damaged nerves holds promise for new drugs to treat multiple sclerosis. But research has been slowed by Britain's post-EU reality.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}