Guglielmetti Lab
Projects
Imaging of Neuroinflammation in Multiple Sclerosis using PET and Metabolic MRI
Although activated immune cells are key players in multiple sclerosis (MS), and glutamate dysregulation contributes to tissue degeneration, the crosstalk between immune response and glutamate dynamics is not well understood. The goal of this project is to develop and validate new non-invasive PET and MRI approaches to improve detection of immune cells and glutamate dynamics in real time, thus providing unprecedented information about their interplay in MS. Findings from this work will validate clinically translatable neuroimaging tools to provide new ways of assessing therapy responses, understanding underlying mechanisms in MS, and potentially aid in the design of novel treatments.
Understanding the Role of Astrocytes and Glutamate Dynamics in Promoting Neuroprotection and Remyelination
Glutamate imbalance has long been reported in multiple sclerosis (MS), linking neuroinflammation to neurodegeneration by primarily inducing excitotoxicity and neuronal loss. This project proposes to investigate the role of glutamate dynamics and astrocyte functions to promote axonal protection and remyelination using noninvasive PET and MR imaging methods. Our findings will improve our understanding of mechanisms involved in axonal protection and remyelination while at the same time, uncover novel therapeutic targets. As the methods developed here are readily translatable, they hold great promise to providing new tools for diagnosis and monitoring of therapies in MS, as well as helping define optimal therapeutic windows to restore glutamate homeostasis to provide axonal protection and speed up repair.
Our People
The lab, led by Caroline Guglielmetti, PhD, consists of a collaborative and interdisciplinary team with expertise in neurosciences, PET and MR molecular imaging, and immunology.
