Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) demonstrate that alleles of the CLEC16A gene (also KIAA0350) confer risk for autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, primary adrenal insufficiency, primary biliary cirrhosis, alopecia areata, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Here, CLEC16A is linked to multiple sclerosis.