Causes and pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis; prevention and precise treatment

In MS, immune cells from the blood enter the central nervous system causing damage to nerve tracts. With time, MS becomes progressive with increased disabilities.

Some therapies can dampen the relapse rates up to 90%, but act broadly on immunity, which can lead to severe complications. Since MS is due to inflammation, the disease should be curable.

We study the causes, pathogenesis and severity/progression of MS in large-scale clinical MS materials, integrated with molecular genetics/immunology and studies in rodent models, to achieve prevention and precise treatment.

The current project focus on function of factors we have found to be strongly associated to disease, and thereby deemed relevant and often unique for MS, providing a basis for precision medicine.

We aim to: 1) Further define, lifestyle/environmental factors and pathways that drive MS risk and severity/progression. 2) Decipher gene-environment interactions, and interactions between environmental factors. 3) Define the function of selected MS gene loci and environmental factors. 4) Define disease relevant T cells, and explore precise tolerance therapies; first in rodent MS models, in which the detailed knowledge of auto-antigenic targets have enabled precise therapies and cure.

Translation to human MS is expected. 5) Develop MS biomarkers in blood samples for diagnosis, severity, prognosis and disease heterogeneity. We approach these aims in ten different, but strongly inter-related sub-projects.