The first Charcot Fellow finishes her mission
Since 2016, the Charcot Foundation has set up the Charcot Fellowship, doctoral fellowship program for young researchers (under 30). The purpose of these mandates is to strengthen research potential teams interested in multiple sclerosis in Belgium. By addressing young researchers who wish to carry out a doctoral thesis on multiple sclerosis, the mandate aims at long-term effects on research against this disease. Each time, the fellows are supervised by a team of experienced and renowned researchers.
Elien GRAJCHEN (Hasselt)
Photo: Dr. Jeroen Bogie (co-sponsor), Fellow Elien Grajchen, Prof. Dr. Jerome Hendriks (sponsor) - UHasselt.
The first scholarship recipient is Ms. Elien GRAJCHEN (UHasselt), whose sponsor is Prof. Dr. Jerome HENDRIKS, Associate Professor in Immunology and Biochemistry, Biomedical Research Institute, University of Hasselt. The choice of Ms Grajchen confirms the quality of the current research team at UHasselt and will encourage young people to embark on studies or a scientific career.
Contribution by Ms Elien Grajchen
Professor Hendriks's research group is studying the role of fats such as cholesterol and fatty acids in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). High cholesterol levels can have harmful consequences and cause cardiovascular disease. But cholesterol is also an essential cellular component, it regulates the action of immune cells and ensures the proper functioning of our brain. Any change in the production and breakdown of cholesterol can therefore interfere with immune system activity and brain function. In MS, immune cells enter the brain and destroy myelin. This corresponds to an insulating layer that surrounds the nerves and plays an important role in good nerve conduction. Without myelin, no communication is possible between the brain and the muscles, which causes symptoms of paralysis. Myelin consists largely of fats such as cholesterol and fatty acids. On the one hand, immune cells must assimilate large quantities of fatty substances released by the degradation of myelin and on the other hand, brain cells must evacuate degraded myelin and produce fats to repair the lesions. Professor Hendriks's group is working to discover the effects of myelin absorption on the functioning of immune cells, but also the role that cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism play in restoring myelin. Objectives can thus be identified for the development of new, more effective therapies that prevent the degradation of myelin and stimulate the brain.
The objective of his research
The research group recently demonstrated that myelin activates cholesterol and fatty acid sensors in immune cells. These then acquire properties that promote the repair of lesions. On the other hand, the large quantities of fatty substances that immune cells must assimilate seem to disrupt this process. The precise processes that are activated and disrupted by myelin uptake have not yet been identified. The researchers also saw a disturbance in cholesterol metabolism in the blood of MS patients. These disturbances stimulate the activity of immune cells and are therefore likely to accelerate the progression of the disease.
The project funded by the Charcot Foundation will identify the underlying mechanisms and verify how they can be influenced to heal brain injuries.