Katerina Akassoglou and her team have discovered new mechanisms that control the communication between the brain, the immune system, and the vascular system, and designed novel therapies for neurological diseases. Akassoglou’s lab pioneered studies showing that when the blood-brain barrier is disrupted, the blood-clotting factor fibrinogen can leak into the brain, where it induces neurodegeneration. Their findings indicate that fibrinogen leakage could contribute to a wide range of neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke.
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Work from Akassoglou’s lab has led to a new way of thinking about neurological diseases by proposing a fundamental mechanism through which cerebrovascular dysfunction impairs the brain and spinal cord. Specifically, they demonstrated that the neurovascular interface is fundamentally changed in neurological disease, resulting in increased blood-brain barrier permeability that promotes toxic brain inflammation. They identified the blood clotting factor fibrinogen as a common driver for neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration and inhibitor of neurorepair. They developed the first immunotherapy that blocks the deleterious functions of fibrin and protects from neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in animal models of multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, the team’s research has broad impact on the understanding of and ability to treat multiple neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis, stroke, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury.
Akassoglou’s team continues to investigate the mechanisms at the neurovascular interface that promote neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline. They hope to use their discoveries to develop innovative treatments, and fluid and imaging biomarkers for devastating neurological diseases.