Our fundamental research question is what happens pathologically when multiple sclerosis (MS) patients convert from relapsing remitting MS to secondary progressive MS, and start experiencing relentless worsening in disability. There is evidence that at this stage, the innate immune system within the brain, the glia, gets activated and obtains a nerve cell-harming phenotype. The harmful activation of glia leads to widespread, diffuse smoldering inflammation. The glial activation is not detected using conventional MRI imaging, but can be measured in vivo using PET-imaging. Our project uses multi-modal methodology to search for signs of various aspects of the MS pathological processes related to progressive MS. In addition to PET we use advanced MRI and measurement of blood biomarkers. Identifying essential pathological elements helps to predict the disease course, identify those patients who need special attention, choose novel therapeutic targets and design future clinical trials.

2020

2024