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Monoclonal Antibodies in NMDAR Antibody Positive Post-HSE
Note: Autoimmune brain inflammation is often caused by nervous tissue. In some patients viral infection (e.g. herpes simplex virus) precedes autoimmune brain inflammation. In those cases, viral structures are thought to trigger the formation of disease-mediating antibodies. The exact mechanisms how viral structures cause the transition from antiviral to disease-mediating antibodies is largely unknown. By investigating the molecular nature of those antibodies we aim to reveal disease-driving mechanisms. The availability of naturally occurring antibodies for research is limited because of their predominant location within the brain and high temporal variability following disease course and therapies. The aim of this proposal is therefore to isolate those immune cells of patients that produce the antibodies. Using highly sophisticated molecular biology methods it will be possible to generate large amounts of the antibodies originating -producing cells (monoclonal antibodies). Having large amounts of monoclonal antibodies available, it will be possible to investigate the nature of those antibodies in more detail. For example, the degree of antibody maturation can be investigated by mutation analysis, which will shed light into molecular mechanisms driving the disease. Furthermore, it can be determined if viral particles resemble neuronal structures targeted by the antibodies and whether this similarity triggers autoimmune brain inflammation. The isolation and production of monoclonal antibodies from patients with autoimmune diseases is an innovative method, by which unlimited access to hardly accessible antibodies is provided. The technique has never been used for this particular group of patients. Results from the study could serve as a model for further autoimmune diseases, since it is suspected that infections could trigger autoimmunity in various diseases (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis). Once disease-driving mechanisms are better known, more effective therapies can be developed. Moreover, the availability of monoclonal antibodies is also crucial to answer scientific questions in basic research projects in the future.
| Grant period | 2018-11-01 - 2022-03-31 |
| Funding body | FWF Austrian Science Fund |
| Grant number | grant.7580103 |
| Identifier | G:(Dimensions)grant.7580103 |
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Record created 2021-07-01, last modified 2021-09-24