Understanding B cells in the brain to guide development of therapies for progressive MS

Start Term
End Term
Funding Amount
$300,000
Affiliation(s)
University of Toronto
Geographic Region(s) / Province(s)
Ontario
Researcher(s)
Dr. Jennifer Gommerman
Research Priorities
Progressive MS
Impact Goal(s)
Understand and Halt Disease Progression

Summary: 

  • B cells, a type of immune cell, are key targets for a number of disease-modifying therapies. These therapies however have limited effect in people with progressive MS. 
  • Dr. Jennifer Gommerman and team will use a mouse model with MS-like disease to better understand B cell populations found in the envelope that surrounds the brain called the meninges, and will examine where they are located and how they change in MS brains. 
  • This research has the potential to guide the development of better B cell therapies for the treatment of progressive MS. 

Project Description: 

A number of disease-modifying therapies targeting immune system cells called B cells have been effective at reducing disease burden in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), but have limited effect in progressive MS. 

To develop improved therapies for progressive MS, we need to further our understanding of how different B cell populations impact MS brain pathology. Recent data shows that in the brain border region, called the meninges, the envelope that surrounds the brain is very rich in B cells. 

Dr. Jennifer Gommerman and team aim to examine how B cells function within these brain border regions in MS. The researchers will use a mouse model that can induce brain pathology, specifically grey matter injury in the brain of older mice. The damage caused in these mice can be improved with B cell targeting disease-modifying therapies (i.e., anti-CD20 treatments). Using this animal model, the researchers will: 

  1. Examine where B cells are located within the brain border regions, which B cells, and how these B cells change in mice with MS-like disease. 
  2. Track the movement of these B cells between brain border compartments. 
  3. Determine the impact of current anti-CD20 therapies on cells within the brain border regions.

Potential Impact: The findings of this study will provide insight into which B cells cause or protect against injury to the brain, in order to determine which B cells to target for improved treatment of MS. 

Project Status: In Progress