Grant: Project Grant

Our research is focused on uncovering the mechanisms in which autoimmune diseases are initiated and influenced by virus infection. In our youth, we are infected with a number of viruses that remain with us for the remainder of our lives. For its part, the virus can live forever with us and with those we come in contact with through re-infection. In our body, a cold war exists between the virus and our immune system that takes a toll on us by creating a system with strong hyper-reactive immune cells. One of these cell types, age-associated B cells (ABCs), increase in numbers as we age and engage strong immune responses capable of attacking invading pathogens and causing autoimmune responses. The relative success of generalized anti-B cell therapies for autoimmune diseases such as MS and RA is a strong piece of evidence of a common but rare B cell component to disease pathology. In this project, we aim to link these ABCs that are generated during maintenance of a common virus infection (EBV-people, and MHV68 for rodents) with increased and enhanced autoimmune diseases such as MS and RA. Identifying this common immunopathogenic cell type during the onset of disease will create an obvious target for common autoimmune therapies.