The recruitment, activation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors, the myelinating cells of the central nervous system, are part of the strategies being tested to treat multiple sclerosis. As this disease progresses, the differentiation capacity of these precursors is inhibited, and this limits the remyelination capacity of the oligodendrocytes. Our project aims to study the role of a molecule,  Elongator, in regulating the differentiation of myelinating cell precursors. We suspect that this molecule exerts a negative influence on oligodendrocyte differentiation. To do this, we have created mice whose oligodendrocytes have been deliberately deprived of this molecule. The proliferation and differentiation properties of these oligodendrocytes will be studied, along with their survival and ability to migrate.

Chronic stimulation of T cells leads to a loss of the co-stimulatory molecule CD28. The expansion of so-called "CD4+CD28null T cells is associated with various autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Graves' disease and Wegener's granulomatosis. Increased frequency of CD4+CD28null T cells was also demonstrated in a subgroup of MS patients. Our research group reported that these cells are partially autoreactive, possess cytotoxic properties and accumulate in active MS lesions. It is, however, unclear which genetic and immunological factors lead to the expansion of CD4+CD28null T cells with MS and whether these cells actually contribute towards the pathological process in the brain. In this project we are attempting to identify these factors. The results of this study may form the basis for the development of selective therapies for MS.

In this project, the function of B cells in the progress of multiple sclerosis (MS) will be examined in further detail. Previous research conducted by the Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED) has led to the production and characterisation of autoreactive B cells from MS patients using the B cell immortalisation technique. Now the antibody specificity and pathogenicity of these B cells will be studied in further detail. In addition, the antigen-presenting function of B cells in MS patients and healthy individuals is examined. This will provide greater insight into the progress of the disease, but could also lead to the identification of new candidate autoantigens in MS.

The lymphocytes that produce interleukin-17 (IL-17) are involved in the triggering of immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). This project aims to identify the factors involved in the differentiation of the lymphocyte population and assess their use as potential biomarkers of the activity of the disease. A second aspect of the project will consist of studying the effect of a treatment neutralising IL-17 on an MS mouse experimental model.

• A word from the president : Why multiple sclerosis happens – A first explanation

• Research doubles number of known genetic risk factors for MS, by Prof B. Dubois

• Rehabilitation and functional re-education with MS: a team process, a daily discipline, by Dr B. Maertens

The environmental risk factors likely to trigger the development of MS in people who are genetically predisposed to the condition are in vogue. Vitamin D is the star player, but there are other risk factors that have been mentioned in previous newsletters...

Vitamin D is currently the subject of unprecedented curiosity, not only in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS), but in a wide variety of pathologies, including cardiovascular, cancerous, auto-immune and mental conditions...  

A new advance in cerebral imaging techniques will make it possible to improve our knowledge of the disease...