Dr. Ariele Greenfield, MD

Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant

Title: “Antigen Targets of CNS-Infiltrating B Cells in Early, Untreated Multiple Sclerosis” 

Term: 7/1/2016-6/30/2019 

Ariele Greenfield, MD is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. She received her MD at the University of California, San Diego and recently completed her residency in Neurology at UCSF where she served as chief of education. At UCSD, under the instruction of Dr. Laura Dugan, she studied the effects of interleukin-6 on motor learning in the aged with an NIH predoctoral training award. Her goals are to perform both translational neuroimmunology research and state-of-the-art patient care.

Background

In MS, immune cells attack components of the brain and spinal cord, leading to various symptoms and disability. No methods exist to prevent MS, because the earliest events that cause these immune cell attacks remain unknown. Certain subtypes of the immune cell group called B cells are found in the spinal fluid (the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord) in people with early MS; these are not found in people without MS, people with MS who are in remission, or those with later stages of MS. This timing suggests that these B cells may play a role in triggering MS.

Background

In MS, immune cells attack components of the brain and spinal cord, leading to various symptoms and disability. No methods exist to prevent MS, because the earliest events that cause these immune cell attacks remain unknown. Certain subtypes of the immune cell group called B cells are found in the spinal fluid (the fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord) in people with early MS; these are not found in people without MS, people with MS who are in remission, or those with later stages of MS. This timing suggests that these B cells may play a role in triggering MS.

The Study

Dr. Greenfield and her team are obtaining blood and spinal fluid samples from people without MS and people with their first attack of MS. They are then isolating the B cells from these samples. Each B cell recognizes a specific set of targets, which can direct the B cell’s actions toward a certain tissue. They believe that the B cells are targeting myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects nerve cells. However, the components of myelin targeted by these B cells are not yet known. Dr. Greenfield and her team are determining the individual targets of each B cell to understand what these cells may initially attack.

The Study

Dr. Greenfield and her team are obtaining blood and spinal fluid samples from people without MS and people with their first attack of MS. They are then isolating the B cells from these samples. Each B cell recognizes a specific set of targets, which can direct the B cell’s actions toward a certain tissue. They believe that the B cells are targeting myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects nerve cells. However, the components of myelin targeted by these B cells are not yet known. Dr. Greenfield and her team are determining the individual targets of each B cell to understand what these cells may initially attack.

What’s Next

Therapies designed to block the interaction between B cells and their specific target may be useful for preventing or stopping MS.

What’s Next

Therapies designed to block the interaction between B cells and their specific target may be useful for preventing or stopping MS.