ECTRIMS 2023 | Metabolic pathways in CNS inflammation: how valine catabolism modulates autoimmune inflammation

André Ortlieb Guerreiro Cacais, PhD, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden, discusses studies on central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. Stemming from an animal model, their findings highlight pathways affecting human disease that may not be genetically regulated in humans, thus escaping traditional genetic screenings. They discovered a metabolic gene influencing immune system activation, particularly T-cells and B-cells, which presented increased responses in naive animals. This metabolic pathway further heightened immune activation in a disease model. The study also revealed that astrocytes overproduce a certain metabolite during disease onset, which boosts the T-cells’ pro-inflammatory capacity. By feeding animals with excess valine, they induced heightened inflammation. This intricate research seeks to comprehend how alterations in metabolic pathways influence immune responses. This interview took place at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) Congress 2023 in Milan, Italy.

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