Biological age in myasthenia gravis: guiding who responds to treatment
Official title: Project 2 Biological Age in Myasthenia Gravis: Impact on Stratification and Treatment Response
Funded at George Washington University · NIH-11414989 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-friendly look at how a person’s biological age, not just their calendar age, might predict how MG patients respond to treatment and how treatments could even reduce biological aging.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | George Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2019 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $238,362 |
| NIH project number | 5U54NS115054-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11414989 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with myasthenia gravis aged 18–65 who have available biospecimens from MGNet/MGTX trials.
✕Less likely to help
MG patients outside the 18–65 age range or without suitable biospecimens may not benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
This project will use blood and immune system data from MG patients to measure biological age with proteins, gene activity, and DNA methylation. By comparing biological age to chronological age, it aims to see who may have faster aging and worse treatment responses. It will also explore whether MG treatments can lower biological age and whether higher biological age signals treatment resistance. The study builds on existing MG patient samples from the MGNet biobank to examine aging-related factors in MG. The goal is to tailor treatment decisions based on a patient’s biological aging profile.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more precise treatment plans based on their biological aging, potentially improving outcomes and minimizing ineffective therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests biological aging metrics can reflect health and treatment response in autoimmune diseases, with this study extending those ideas to MG.
Where this research is happening
-
George Washington University
Washington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kusner, Linda Louise — George Washington University
- Study coordinator: Kusner, Linda Louise
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding how autoimmunity causes myasthenia gravis
This project looks at why the immune system attacks the nerve-muscle connection in myasthenia gravis and how different patient groups are affected.
-
CapTURE-MG: A patient-friendly MG data toolkit in a common EHR
A multi-site effort to use a streamlined MG toolkit inside the Epic EHR to collect consistent, real-world information about myasthenia gravis from routine care.
-
Rare Disease Network for Myasthenia Gravis
A nationwide effort to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and trial readiness for people with myasthenia gravis through biomarker work and better care tools.
-
Understanding how autoimmune attacks cause myasthenia gravis
Researchers are studying how the immune system mistakenly targets the neuromuscular junction in myasthenia gravis to identify why the disease starts and how it progresses.
-
Mechanistically informed deep learning to study autoreactive B cells in Myasthenia Gravis
A study using advanced computer models to find hidden immune-cell signals in people with Myasthenia Gravis, including those who don’t yet show detectable antibodies.
-
Heterogeneity in autoimmune myasthenia gravis: classifying disease variants to guide personalized therapies
This research looks at different forms of myasthenia gravis to understand how unique immune factors drive the disease so doctors can tailor treatments.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.