Exploring the Link Between Inflammation and Pain in MS

Start Term
End Term
Funding Amount
$300,000
Affiliation(s)
Laval University
Geographic Region(s) / Province(s)
Quebec
Researcher(s)
Dr. Steve Lacroix
Research Priorities
Cognition and mental health
Impact Goal(s)
Advance Treatment and Care

Summary:  

  • Chronic pain is a common symptom of MS, yet current therapeutics are ineffective in relieving pain.  

  • Dr. Steve Lacroix and team aim to examine the cellular and molecular processes that contribute to chronic pain in MS. Using a mouse model of MS, the research team will determine how interactions between a pro-inflammatory molecule, interleukin-1 beta and its receptor, activate nerve cells that are responsible for pain perception in MS. They will also employ various strategies to disrupt this interaction and assess whether it will have beneficial effects on motor and sensory functions in mice with MS-like disease.  

  • Findings from this research could lead to new approaches to target and treat pain, with the goal of improving quality of life for people living with MS.  

Project Description:  

Chronic pain is experienced by a majority of people with MS, often leading to depression, anxiety and stress and significantly impacting overall quality of life. Unfortunately, current treatments are ineffective at relieving pain and in some cases can even induce pain as a side effect. 

Neuroinflammation in MS is driven in part by the release of cellular molecules called cytokines. Dr. Steve Lacroix and team have previously found that the cytokine interleukin-1 beta is a key molecule in the development of autoimmune responses in mice with MS-like disease (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis or EAE). They also showed that interleukin-1 beta can trigger pain in EAE by interacting with a receptor protein called ‘tIL-1R1’ which can then activate nerve cells responsible for pain perception. 

In this study, the researchers aim to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which interleukin-1 beta and its receptor (tIL-1R1) interact to cause pain in MS. The researchers will first determine how interleukin-1 beta is produced in EAE mice. They will also introduce various strategies to disrupt the interaction between interleukin-1 beta and its receptor (i.e., using antibodies to block interleukin-1 beta function, deleting genes important for tIL-1R1 signaling, etc.), and assess whether this leads to beneficial effects in motor and sensory functions of EAE mice.

Potential Impact: This research has the potential to reveal new molecular pathways and targets for pain in MS, which could lead to the development of novel approaches to alleviate chronic pain and improve the quality of life for people living with MS. 

Project Status: In Progress