BIOMARKER DISCOVERY IN GLUCOCORTICOID RESISTANCE IN EAE

University Of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio TX

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Currently there is no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). Immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory treatments including glucocorticoids (GC) are used to treat acute attacks of MS and slow relapses. However, no adequate biomarkers exist to show treatment efficacy and/or development of treatment resistance. Therefore, the goal of this project is to identify biomarkers to monitor whether immunomodulatory treatments in MS are effective and/or whether patients develop treatment resistance. We will study glucocorticoid (GC) treatment of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as a generally accepted model of MS. Combining immunological studies with proteomics methods we expect to discover proteins (biomarkers) that indicate when the GC treatment is effective and furthermore provide us information on the mechanisms of GC resistance.