Kurzfassung

Activated T cells can enter the CNS even when there are no obvious signs of inflammation. These cells enter the CNS in order to survey this organ for bacterial or viral infection, and possibly to eliminate malignant or transformed cells. But once the CNS is the focus of an immune attack, as seen in patients of multiple sclerosis, its gates are opened so that a dramatic inflammatory process occurs.
The mission of MELTRA-BBB is to investigate the early steps of CNS immune cells infiltration, and...Activated T cells can enter the CNS even when there are no obvious signs of inflammation. These cells enter the CNS in order to survey this organ for bacterial or viral infection, and possibly to eliminate malignant or transformed cells. But once the CNS is the focus of an immune attack, as seen in patients of multiple sclerosis, its gates are opened so that a dramatic inflammatory process occurs.
The mission of MELTRA-BBB is to investigate the early steps of CNS immune cells infiltration, and to understand what allows B and T cells to pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and initiate the inflammatory process.
Our consortium is composed of members that have all been working for many years in the field of multiple sclerosis with its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Together, we gather a rare combination of expertise in mouse genetics, in the biology of  endothelial cells, immunology, neuropathology and intravital imaging that makes it an ideal team to investigate the mechanisms leading to lymphocyte entry to the CNS. We will use genetic methods to delete cytokine receptors or to ablate specific cells of the immune system, and follow the development of disease in these mice. We will use cell culture systems to translate the mouse findings to the human system. We will further expand these in vivo and in vitro findings in human, by studying human MS patients’ lymphocytes and by characterizing these inflammatory cells in situ in MS brains. We expect that by the combination of studies in experimental models and human disease our results will have broad relevance for inflammatory diseases of the CNS as a whole and will be utilized to design better therapies for the patients of these diseases.» weiterlesen» einklappen