Neuroimmunology
The Neuroimmunology group is concerned with dissecting out the pathogenesis of autoimmune neuropathies, using a wide variety of approaches, techniques and collaborations. The particular emphasis is on the role of anti-ganglioside antibodies in the post-infectious paralytic neuropathy termed Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS) and the GBS variant termed Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). GBS has an incidence of 1-2:100,000 (500-1000 UK cases per year), very high health care costs, substantial morbidity, and a mortality of 5-10%. The overall aim of the Neuroimmunology Group is to solve the pathogenic cycle from origin to effects of anti-ganglioside antibodies and then design novel therapies. The projects running in the lab at present are as follows:
1. Identifying and characterising carbohydrate autoantigens
2. Understanding Campylobacter jejuni LPS structure and immunogenicity
3. Cloning & characterising anti-ganglioside autoantibodies using standard hybridoma technology and phage display techniques
4. Modelling disease in a wide range of genetically modified mice with particular emphasis on the motor nerve terminal
5. Developing therapeutic strategies from animal models
6. Clinical research on serotype/phenotype associations
7. Participation in clinical trials of neuropathy patients
Principal lnvestigators:
1. Prof HJ Willison
Research group members:
Post-doctoral RAs
- Kay Greenshields
- Kate Townson
- Denggao Yao
- Simon Fewou
Technicians
- Anne Donachie
Clinical Fellows
- Alistair Easton
- Katie Brennan
- Simon Rinaldi
PhD students
- Rhona McGonigal
- Angelika Rupp
Funding:
- Wellcome Trust Programme grant
2. Dr C Goodyear
Research group members:
Post-doctoral RAs
- Lindsay McLelland
Technician
- To be appointed
PhD students
- Ammad Ahmed (with Prof Iain McInnes)
- Fujimi Sugiyama
Funding:
- Arthritis Research Campaign
- The University of Glasgow
3. Professor C Linington
Research group members:
Post-doctoral RA
- Ariel Arthur
- Maren Lindner
- Katy Malpass
PhD student
- Christina Elliott
Funding:
- Multiple Sclerosis Society