Aiming at new insights into disease mechanisms in MS

Using new molecular techniques, Wallenberg Scholar Gonçalo Castelo-Branco intends to identify the role of different neural cells in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), with the long-term aim of finding new methods of diagnosis and treatment. 

The neurons of the brain and spinal cord communicate with each other via electrical signals. In multiple sclerosis (MS), the immune system attacks the myelin, the protective sheath surrounding the nerve fibres, delaying the transmission of these signals. The cells that produce the myelin – the oligodendrocytes – are also attacked and die. 

A wide variety of brain and spinal cord cells are involved in the disease. Wallenberg Scholar Gonçalo Castelo-Branco and his research group will be investigating when, where and how these cells contribute to the pathological process, including the role of the oligodendrocytes.

 Several functional states 

Professor Gonçalo Castelo-Branco and his team have recently shown that oligodendrocytes can have several functional states in the context of disease.

“We have found that the oligodendrocytes and their progenitor cells have much in common with immune cells in MS,” says Professor Castelo-Branco. “For instance, they can take part in the clearing up of damaged myelin, and interact with immune cells, making them change their behaviour. However, we do not yet know the implications of these functional properties for the pathological process.”

By using new molecular techniques and combining them for instance with MRI (magnetic resonance tomography), his research group will survey the roles of the different cells and how they react in the inflammatory environment that the disease creates.

“We’ve learned a great deal about MS in the past few decades,” he continues. “This knowledge has led to new therapies that can be beneficial for patients who are in the relapsing-remitting phase of the disease,” he continues. “Unfortunately, these treatments are not as effective for advanced MS or progressive MS. We hope that our research will provide new insights on the disease mechanisms, that will enable us to find new diagnostic methods and drug targets.”