Current Funding
Antibody selection, rules of the game.
Antibodies constantly improve during disease. The body achieves this by producing many antibodies and then selecting the best ones. However, the rules governing this selection process, set by specialized support cells, remain a mystery. In this pioneering research, the researchers aim to unveil these rules, as understanding them is crucial to breaking them. By mastering the laws of this immunological game, the researchers strive to conquer diseases and revolutionize vaccination efforts.
Block Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to prevent multiple sclerosis (MS).
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that attacks our neurons. Recent reports show a causative link between mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus, EBV) and MS. The studies proposed neuron loss through autoimmunity caused by strong similarity between a viral and host protein. However, these studies omit the possibility that EBV infects neurons directly. Serendipitous data suggests expression of complement receptor 2 (CR2), the EBV viral entry receptor, on neurons. This needs investigation as it changes our understanding of MS. MS would change from an autoimmune- to a mainly infectious disease problem, which can kickstart a new wave of treatments and research.
Polygon innovation fund: Proofivy.
Proofivy’s mission is to increase trust in science, journalism, and humanity. Blockchain technology provides us with new tools for verification and storing of data. Proofivy makes it easy for researchers (and anyone else), to prove the creation and possession of data before they are ready to share it, and to store and share untamperable data.
With Proofivy you can: -commit hashes of experimental setups, assumptions, and hypotheses; -commit hashes of articles before publication; and store and share untamperable data.
I developed this concept with a friend who works at Polygon to help restore trust in science by making it verifiable. Together we are testing the concept and implementation. This can be used in the future to make early collaboration and sharing of data easier.
Past Funding
How do vaccinations work?
By iterative selection of the best antibodies, the immune system acquires more specific antibodies. This is why some vaccines work so well. By unraveling the exact mechanism of selection, the researcher hopes to understand why some vaccines work better than others and use the obtained knowledge to improve vaccination.