Probing a New Risk Cell Type to Treat Multiple Sclerosis
Abstract
The proposed work will address the focus area Central Nervous System Regenerative Potential in Demyelinating Conditions. Functional recovery from multiple sclerosis (MS) is greatly halted by limited myelin repair in the MS lesion sites. Recent work has uncovered a new risk cell type in the MS -- adult-born pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes that have the potential of becoming the myelin repair cells. Pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes are vulnerable upon immune attack and are often found missing around the lesion sites. Why these potential myelin repair cells are so sensitive to demyelinating insults is not clear. This work will unveil the mystery behind this newly identified risk cell, and will use cutting-edge technologies to determine the genes that are responsible for their vulnerability. Finally, we will conduct a high-throughput functional screen in a culture dish to search for FDA-approved drugs that promote pre-myelinating oligodendrocyte viability, thereby identifying potential therapeutics against this devastating disease. This work will bridge the knowledge gap in myelin biology and will potentially benefit a large number of MS patients who are in the relapsing-remitting and secondary- progressive phases.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110830
Entities
People
- Lu Sun
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center