Vascular Vulnerabilities and MS Pathology

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that damages the protective covering of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to problems with movement, sensation, and other functions. In MS, blood flow to the brain is reduced, and this may happen even before symptoms appear, possibly due to genetic factors.

This is important because blood carries oxygen and glucose, which nerve cells and oligodendrocytes (the cells that make myelin) need to survive. Blood flow becomes even more critical after myelin is damaged, as the nerves work harder and need more oxygen and glucose to function properly.

This project aims to protect nerve cells and reduce disability by understanding how a person’s genes affect brain blood vessels. To achieve this, they will grow two types of blood vessel cells, called pericytes and endothelial cells, from stem cells stored in the MS Stem Cell Biobank. These stem cells come from the blood of people with and without MS.

In growing these blood vessel cells, the team will explore:

• Whether a person’s genes change the shape and function of their blood vessel cells.
• How these cell changes affect blood flow in the brain, allow immune cells to enter, trigger inflammation, and ultimately contribute to disease progression.
• Potential drug targets on blood vessels that could improve blood flow.
• Whether supporting blood vessel health can help repair myelin and prevent nerve cell loss, even after MS develops.

A key goal of this project is to find points on the blood vessels that could be targeted with drugs to improve blood flow to the brain. Professor Young and her team hope to show that even after MS develops, supporting blood vessel health could help repair myelin and protect nerve cells from damage.