Project R-3512

FWO research project: A role for expanded CD4+CD28null T cells in patients with multiple sclerosis? (Research)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disabling disease of the central nervous system, thought to be caused by autoreactive T cells that initiate an inflammatory attack of the myelin sheath and axons. Premature ageing of the immune system is shown to occur in a subset of MS patients. One of the main characteristics of immunosenescence is the expansion of CD4+CD28null T cells in the peripheral blood. Our group recently demonstrated that these cells have cytotoxic characteristics and are present in MS lesions, thereby suggesting that CD4+CD28null T cells take part in the disease pathogenesis. The cause of the expansion of CD4+CD28null T cells and their contribution to disease is not yet known. In this study, we investigate whether patients with expanded CD4+CD28null T cells differ from those that do not have expanded senescent T cells by comparing both patient populations on the clinical, genetical and immunological level. This study aims to determine the actual contribution of CD4+CD28null T cells to immune dysregulation and autoimmune disease and may identify genetic factors that influence the expansion of these T cells. In the long run, results of this study may lead to a more personalized treatment of patients with different underlying disease mechanisms.

01 January 2012 - 31 December 2015