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Dr. Inna Afonina and Prof. Rudi Beyaert

Characterization of interleukin-33 (IL-33) as a potential therapeutic target in multiple sclerosis

Grant

€ 47,424 / 2 years
VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system, where neurodegeneration and inflammation induce brain damage. The cytokine interleukin-33 (IL-33), a pro-inflammatory intercellular messenger molecule, has recently been associated with MS. In this project we aim to clearly define the role of IL-33 in different phases of MS. We will also investigate whether IL-33 signaling affects demyelination, another hallmark of MS that leads to the death of nerve cells. There is a great unmet medical need for new therapeutic strategies to improve remyelination in MS patients. Our final objective is to assess the therapeutic effect of a novel IL-33 blocker in preclinical mouse models of MS.

The project aims to study the pathological role of interleukin-33 in MS and to analyze the therapeutic effect of a new IL-33 blocker in preclinical mouse models of MS.