Project R-8213

The BAFF/APRIL system as an inducer of B cell self-reactivity in spinal cord injury (Research)

Increasing evidence indicates that B cells are activated by spinal cord injury (SCI) and that they participate in consecutive degenerative damage to the central nervous system by production of pathologic autoantibodies. It is still unknown how this antibody response is regulated, although preliminary results indicate the involvement of the cytokines B cell activating factor (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL). The project aims at identifying the prevalence of self-reactivity in SCI patients and at determining to what extent the BAFF/APRIL system is activated in SCI patients and correlates with the production of self-reactive antibodies. How the BAFF/APRIL system contributes to antibody production and aberrant B cell functioning in SCI patients is addressed using an in vitro screening system. Finally, whether the BAFF/APRIL system enhances self-reactivity and whether its inhibition might have therapeutic value in SCI is examined in a mouse model of SCI.

01 September 2017 - 31 August 2020