The revised application now has five major aims: to generate syngeneic fibroblasts that contain a retroviral construct that encodes a PLP-miniprotein; to determine the potential amelioration of clinical signs and histologically-measured CNS inflammation provided by these fibroblasts; to determine the immune status of the treated animals versus controls to determine if there is evidence for intramolecular and intermolecular determinant spreading; to determine a direct correlation with the therapeutic effects of the fibroblasts and their ability to down-regulate IL-2 (and other cytokine) synthesis in the brains of treated and control mice with EAE; and finally to construct a hybrid vector containing epitopes from both PLP and MBP.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS035240-02
Application #
2685738
Study Section
Immunological Sciences Study Section (IMS)
Program Officer
Kerza-Kwiatecki, a P
Project Start
1997-04-01
Project End
2000-03-31
Budget Start
1998-04-01
Budget End
1999-03-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Southern California
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
041544081
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90089
Louie, K A; Weiner, L P; Du, J et al. (2005) Cell-based gene therapy experiments in murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Gene Ther 12:1145-53
Weiner, Leslie P; Louie, Katherine A; Atalla, Lilly R et al. (2004) Gene therapy in a murine model for clinical application to multiple sclerosis. Ann Neurol 55:390-9