2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Examination of the treatment of myasthenia gravis with anti-MuSK antibodies using an experimental autoimmune animal model
| Project/Area Number |
25860734
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Neurology
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| Research Institution | Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology |
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Principal Investigator |
Mori Shuuichi 地方独立行政法人東京都健康長寿医療センター(東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所), 東京都健康長寿医療センター研究所, 研究員 (30508677)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
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| Keywords | 重症筋無力症 / 神経筋シナプス / MuSK |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Some patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) caused by antibodies against muscle-specific kinase (MuSK; MuSK-MG) apparently do not respond to immunosuppressive therapy and rapidly progress to life-threatening muscle atrophy. In addition, long-term administration of corticosteroids, which are first-line treatment of MG, is frequently responsible for severe adverse effect. Therefore, new effective and safe immunosuppressive drugs are urgently required.
Here, we demonstrated that administration of rapamycin is able to act as a highly immunosuppressive drug in animal model of MuSK-MG and consequently improves clinical characteristics by maintaining NMJ structures and function. Moreover, our data strengthen the case for using rapamycin as a treatment of human MuSK-MG, although further large clinical trails are required to determine the exact use of rapamycin as a sole therapeutic or as an adjunctive treatment to other immunosuppressive drugs.
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| Free Research Field |
神経筋生理学・生化学
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