Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor An Goris, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Second opponent: Professor Zsolt Illes, University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Espen Dietrichs, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Heidi Kiil Blomhoff, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Andreas Lossius, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Summary
The immune system of most G1m1/G1m3 heterozygous multiple sclerosis (MS) patients gives IgG1 of the G1m1 allotype preferred access to the central nervous system in ways not yet confirmed in other diseases. The thesis aims to deepen the understanding of the intrathecal B-cell response in MS through the window of this preferential selection and the temporal dynamic of B cells and related antibodies.
We discovered that it is G1m1 antibody producing B cells which preferentially occupy the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in favour of a balanced ratio shared with their G1m3-producing counterparts. Isoelectric focusing confirmed this preference also on antibody level, regardless of antigen specificity. High-throughput sequencing and mass spectrometry further showed that intrathecal IgG has a strong persistence over time, despite their B cells of origin being identified mostly at just one time point.
There is a fascinating continuity in the immune processes that frame MS. Studying B cells and the antibodies they produce offer valuable perspectives, as both assessment and treatment options expand further into the domain of neuroimmunology.
Additional information
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