Veterans Administration Merit Award to Dr. Mitzi Nagarkatti
Dr. Mitzi Nagarkatti, Chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology has received the Merit Award from Veterans Health Administration to perform studies to determine the role of an immune cell molecule known as CD44 in triggering brain inflammation during multiple sclerosis (MS). This is a 4-year grant with Drs. Prakash Nagarkatti and Hongbing (Ben) Guan serving as co-investigators.
MS affects approximately a million people worldwide, of which about half are in North America. Currently, there are thousands of veterans who are diagnosed with MS. It believed that several other veterans who have symptoms such as Gulf War-like illness, chronic fatigue, respiratory disorders and even PTSD may actually be suffering from MS. In MS, the immune system goes haywire and starts attacking the cells in the brain and spinal cord. This damage results in lack of sensation, vision changes, imbalance, incontinence, bowel movement problems, fatigue, pain, loss of memory and often leading to paralysis. Currently, there is no effective treatment for this chronic, debilitating autoimmune disease. Dr. Nagarkatti’s research is aimed at examining the various types of immune cells that infiltrate the central nervous system and cause chronic inflammation that is responsible for damage to the neurons. The research particularly focuses on a molecule called CD44 that is involved in the regulation of inflammation. Preliminary experimental studies from Dr. Nagarkatti’s laboratory have shown that blocking CD44 molecule can prevent the development of MS. In addition, in MS patients, Dr. Nagarkatti’s research has been able to identify molecules that potentially trigger inflammation. Thus, the proposed studies in this grant will further determine the molecules present on immune cells that bind to the cells that line the blood vessels in the brain to cause nerve cell damage. Such studies are likely to lead to the development of novel treatment modalities against MS. |
