CNS Repair and Brain-Targeted Antibody Therapeutics
Limited neuronal plasticity and persistent neuroinflammation hinder brain and spinal cord recovery in autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Our laboratory is focused on the development of therapeutic strategies improving the function of injured neurons by modulating neuronal plasticity and inflammatory processes. Presently, our projects aim at 1) modulating neuronal plasticity with engineered brain-penetrating antibodies in Alzheimer’s disease (Dr. Sandrine Joly), 2) mitigating neuroinflammation with antibodies and small molecules in inflammatory demyelinating diseases by using the nose-to-brain administration pathway (Claudia Simonetti, PhD student), 3) elucidating the mechanisms of aquaporin 4 autoantibody penetration and astrocyte degeneration in the CNS in Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) (Cassy Peynet, PhD student), and 4) identifying biomarkers to monitor neuronal degeneration and synaptopathy in multiple sclerosis and NMOSD (Noé Fellay, MSc student).
Collaborations:
- Prof. Radhouane Dallel and Dr. Sarah Mountadem (Université Clermont Auvergne, Inserm, France).
- Dr. Craig Fenwick (CHUV, Switzerland)
- Prof. Ayal Ben-Zvi (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
- Prof. Luc Vallières (Université Laval, Québec, Canada)
- Prof. Frédéric Bretzner (Université Laval, Québec, Canada)