Immunologic Analysis of Thoracic Duct Lymph from MS Patients and Controls

This study aims to investigate the benefits of collecting lymph in addition to blood in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is now well recognized that the central nervous system (CNS) is not as immune privileged as it has been considered. A system of lymphatic drainage has been described both based on pathology and more recently in vivo imaging in humans and non-human primates. In multiple sclerosis (MS), considerable attention has been placed on persistent CNS-compartmentalized inflammation including meningeal inflammation that can be B-cell rich. It has also been demonstrated that B cells traffic bi-directionally between the CNS compartment and the periphery--in particular the deep cervical lymph nodes which drain the CNS lymphatic system. The current method for sampling CNS compartmentalized inflammation is from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which will lack important cells and soluble factors that already trafficked out of the CNS. This study will use thoracic duct cannulation to collect lymph in MS patients from ages 18-55 years. Results from this study will have major implications both to our understanding of relapsing and CNS-compartmentalized biologies of MS, as well as enable novel biological assessment of the impact of therapies targeting these disease-relevant processes in the periphery and the CNS.

You may be eligible for this study if you meet the following criteria:

• Conditions:
  TBD
• Age: - 99 Years
• Gender: All