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Learning pregnancy’s code for suppressing autoimmunity
Pregnancy-induced immunomodulation, shaped by evolutionary pressure over millions of years, significantly reduces MS relapse rates during pregnancy often followed by a rebound in disease activity postpartum. We aim to better understand the immunoregulatory mechanisms that ameliorate Multiple Sclerosis during pregnancy in order to pave the way for novel treatment strategies for autoimmune conditions.
Hypothesis
Team
Dr. med., Dr. rer. biol. hum.
Max Kaufmann
Principal Investigator
Univ.-Prof. Dr. phil.
Stefan Gold
Principal Investigator
Stefanie Gamradt
PostDoc
Christina Schlegl
PhD Student
Project-related publications
Attfield, K. E., Jensen, L. T., Kaufmann, M., Friese, M. A. & Fugger, L. The immunology of multiple sclerosis. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 22, 734–750 (2022).
Brasanac J, …, Gold SM. Immune signature of multiple sclerosis-associated depression. Brain Behav Immun. 2022. 00:174-182. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.11.022.
Schirmer L*, Velmeshev D*, Holmqvist S, Kaufmann M, …, Rowitch DH. Neuronal vulnerability and multilineage diversity in multiple sclerosis. Nature 2019. 573, 75–82. 10.1038/s41586-019-1404-z.
Voskuhl RR, Gold SM. Sex-related factors in multiple sclerosis susceptibility and progression. Nat Rev Neurol. 2012; 8(5):255-63. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2012.43.
Ramien C, …, Gold SM. T cell repertoire dynamics during pregnancy in multiple sclerosis. Cell Rep. 2019 29(4):810-815.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.09.025.
Engler JB, …, Gold SM, Friese MA. Glucocorticoid receptor in T cells mediates protection from autoimmunity in pregnancy. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2017. 114(2):E181-E190. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1617115114.
Engler JB*, Heckmann NF*, Jäger J, Gold SM, Friese MA. Pregnancy Enables Expansion of Disease-Specific Regulatory T Cells in an Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis. J Immunol. 2019, 203(7):1743-1752. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900611.
Kaufmann M*, Evans H*, Schaupp AL*, …, Friese MA. Identifying CNS-colonising T cells as potential therapeutic targets to prevent progression of multiple sclerosis. Med 2021. 2 296-312.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2021.01.006.
Kaufmann M*, Schaupp*, …, Fugger L. Identification of early neurodegenerative pathways leading to progressive multiple sclerosis. Nat Neurosci. 2022. Jul;25(7):944-955. 2022. doi: 10.1038/s41593-022-01097-3.
Schreurs, R. R. C. E. et al. Human Fetal TNF-α-Cytokine-Producing CD4+ Effector Memory T Cells Promote Intestinal Development and Mediate Inflammation Early in Life. Immunity 50, 462-476.e8 (2019).