Spatiotemporal dynamics of immune cells with ability of neural repair in the CNS of autoimmune gliopathy

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K07899
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 52020:Neurology-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Kawachi Izumi 新潟大学, 医歯学系, 准教授 (40432083)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 柿田 明美 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 教授 (80281012) ; 五十嵐 博中 新潟大学, 脳研究所, 教授 (20231128)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 多発性硬化症 / 視神経脊髄炎 / neural repair

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are the two main ‘autoimmune gliopathy’ of the central nervous system (CNS). We provided evidence that not only neuro-destructive immune properties but also neuro-protective immune properties with ability of tissue remodeling and homeostasis could be present in the CNS under autoimmune gliopathy. Further studies to elucidate mechanisms how neuro-destructive and neuro-protective immune properties aggregate these diseases will provide therapeutic targets for neuro-protection against neurological disorders including autoimmune gliopathy.

Free Research Field

神経内科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

中枢神経系自己免疫疾患の二大疾患「多発性硬化症」と「視神経脊髄炎」の原因や機能回復に必要なneural repairの機序は未だに不明である. 本研究では脳特異的な「制御性・修復向性免疫細胞群」と「神経回路破綻向性免疫細胞群」の特徴の詳細が解析された. Neural repairを目的とした分子標的治療の開発はunmet medical needsが高いため, その病態基盤の一部を明らかにしたことは治療開発に応用できる可能性があり, 社会的意義がある.