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Project

Elucidating the role of Epstein-Barr virus in multiple sclerosis pathophysiology.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological disorders in young adults, affecting around 13,500 people in Belgium and 2.5 million worldwide. The disease can lead to important physical as well as cognitive disability at a time that is crucial in the personal and professional development of patients. Belgium constitutes a relatively high-prevalence country in which MS continues to pose a major personal and socio-economic burden. MS is characterized by three hallmarks: inflammation, demyelination and neuronal loss. The exact cause of MS still remains to be elucidated but the past few years have seen exciting progress in the field. Over the last decade, our research group has – in an international collaborative context as part of the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (IMSGC) – identified 236 genetic risk factors for MS. Genetic and environmental factors together shape both susceptibility and long-term disease outcome in a patient, but the factors for both outcomes are at least partially different. Understanding long-term disease outcome and progression, or the gradual accumulation of disability, is a current key challenge in the field, and focus of this PhD. For this purpose, we make use of state-of-the art genetics, transcriptomics and immunological technologies in combination with a unique clinically well characterized cohort of MS patients with paired blood – cerebrospinal fluid samples.

Date:1 Oct 2022 →  Today
Keywords:multiple sclerosis, genetics, transcriptomics, disease progression
Disciplines:Neurological and neuromuscular diseases
Project type:PhD project