A research team at West Virginia University is investigating the mechanisms that lead to multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating autoimmune disease. The study focuses on how T cells and monocytes, two types of immune cells, interact within the central nervous system and initiate the development of MS. This research could pave the way for new treatments for the disease and other neurological disorders.
Multiple sclerosis currently affects approximately 2.3 million people worldwide. It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues, specifically the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The initial immune response takes place in the meninges, the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
“We want to study how two immune cell types, T cells and monocytes, interact within the meninges before these immune cells go into the brain and the spinal cord and cause damage,” said Edwin Wan, an associate professor in the WVU School of Medicine Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology.
Wan emphasized the importance of understanding T cell and monocyte interactions. “We know that the interaction between T cells and monocytes in the meninges is critical for MS initiation, and potentially for the disease to progress as well. If we can identify the proteins that regulate the interaction of T cells and monocytes and how they respond and produce other factors to affect disease outcomes, these proteins can be targets for treating the disease.”
While treatments exist to mitigate the frequency of MS relapses, there is currently no cure or effective method to prevent disease progression. The research is supported by a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The project will be led by Wan alongside Neil Billington, a service assistant professor in the School of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. They will also work with Dr. Wen Zheng, a research scientist, and Kody Moore, an undergraduate student from Fairmont.
Using genetically modified mice, the team will employ advanced live-imaging techniques to monitor immune cell interactions in the spinal cord after inducing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a mouse model that closely resembles human MS. “This is an especially innovative aspect of the project to study T cells and monocyte interactions in a live animal,” Wan noted. “Using this technique, we can figure out the dynamics of the interaction and the outcome.”
Wan expressed optimism that insights gained from the study could extend to other neurological conditions. “There is more and more recognition about the immune system’s involvement in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. I’m very interested to compare different responses of these immune cells toward different neurological diseases.”
The project has undergone ethical review by the WVU Institutional Animal Care and Use Ethics Committee and is accredited by AAALAC, a national organization that sets standards for animal welfare in research.
