Neuroimmunology

Auto-antibodies have been previously identified in people with MS and schizophrenia. 
Dr Greer’s lab aims to prove whether or not these auto-antibodies play a role in the development of these diseases. 

This work is currently funded by two grants from the NHMRC and a grant from the National MS Society in the USA. 

The MS work is carried out in collaboration with the MS Clinic at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital (RBWH), and the schizophrenia work involves collaborations with psychiatrists from RBWH, the Princess Alexandria Hospital and from the Queensland Brain Institute.

Another major interest of Greer’s laboratory is the development of new therapeutic agents for treatment of MS. In a project funded by MS Research Australia, the lab is currently collaborating with researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to develop novel drugs derived from parasitic worms. 

Understanding the role that mutations in a gene called NFKBIA play in MS is also a focus for the lab. This gene plays a critical role in controlling inflammation and the immune response. Researchers within Greer’s lab have found mutations in this gene appear to correlate with a greater level of degeneration within the nervous system (and subsequently a worse disease course) in patients who carry the mutations.