Grant: Team Grant: Health Challenges in Chronic Inflammation Initiative (LOI)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are frequent neurological diseases in elderly and young adults, respectively. Both diseases can be devastating for patients and their families, and have an important socioeconomic impact. Both diseases are incurable, and there are no biomarkers to distinguish between their different forms and disease courses and to predict prognosis. Although their etiology is quite different, both diseases are associated with a marked recruitment of circulating immune cells known as monocytes, the precursors of macrophages. While it is firmly established that these cells contribute to the disease process of MS in different ways, growing evidence indicates that they can attenuate AD. Here, we propose that genetic changes affecting the monocytic cell lineage contribute to MS development, but, on the contrary, protect from AD. To test this hypothesis, we will use RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq), a revolutionary genomic tool, to generate an unprecedented global view of the monocyte transcriptome in patients with AD or MS. By determining the quantity and sequence of all known and unknown mRNAs at single-base resolution, we will seek to identify new potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.