Neuro-Immune Crosstalk in Brain Infections and Autoimmunity (ImmuBRAIN)
Understanding the dialogue between neurons and immunity reveals mechanisms that turn scientific knowledge into clinical practice, the place where science has its greatest impact on human lives
Current research
Problem
Encephalitis is a severe disease caused by pathogens or by immune dysregulation, with recovery often being partial or prolonged. In autoimmune forms, neuronal antibodies induce transient synaptic dysfunction, but some patients develop persistent neurocognitive sequelae. This suggests the presence of additional pathogenic factors, and the interaction between antibodies and innate immunity may represent an unexplored contributor. Some viruses can cause infectious encephalitis that, in certain cases, trigger post‑infection autoimmune encephalitis, but the mechanisms underlying brain protection and autoimmunity remain unknown.
Approach
Our research investigates pathogenic and protective mechanisms in autoimmune and infectious encephalitis, with a particular focus on the interaction between antibodies and innate immunity, as well as the role of viruses and the host immune response. It combines innovative immunology approaches such as Brain & Systems Antibodyomics —extensive antibody profiling, Fc effector functions and glycosylation— with computational tools and experimental in vitro and animal models to identify correlates of protection, unexplored pathogenic mechanisms, antibody compartmentalization in the brain, and prognostic biomarkers.
Impact
The results will provide insight into how antibodies and innate immunity determine the severity of the disease and neurological and cognitive recovery, revealing previously unexplored pathogenic and protective mechanisms. This new perspective will enable the identification of prognostic biomarkers that predict outcomes and open up new therapeutic and vaccine strategies to improve functionality and quality of life in patients with infectious and autoimmune neurological disorders.