In patients with multiple sclerosis administration of high-dose IFN-β therapy, as disease modifying therapy, has been shown to strongly associate with thrombocytopenia (29) and neutrophil-mediated type I IFN pathway activation in the bone marrow has been shown to affect B cell development in both human and murine lupus (30). The gene discussed is IFNB1; the disease is systemic lupus erythematosus.