Heterogeneity in autoimmune myasthenia gravis: classifying disease variants to guide personalized therapies
Official title: Heterogeneity in autoimmune myasthenia gravis: classifying disease variants by unique immune mechanisms to inform personalized therapeutic strategies
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11349770 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at different forms of myasthenia gravis to understand how unique immune factors drive the disease so doctors can tailor treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | June 9, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $251,938 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AI198948-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11349770 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with acetylcholine receptor (AChR)–positive MG who may have IgM-driven disease subtypes.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with MG not linked to AChR or IgM-mediated mechanisms may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is caused by immune factors that disrupt communication between nerves and muscles. This project investigates a less-studied type of immune antibody, IgM, in patients with AChR-positive MG to see how it contributes to disease and treatment resistance. Researchers will analyze patient-derived B cells to create monoclonal antibodies and map how these IgM antibodies interact with acetylcholine receptors. The study aims to redefine MG subtypes based on immune mechanisms and inform which patients might benefit from non-IgG–targeted therapies. Yale University will lead the work with detailed laboratory and molecular analyses over the grant period.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to more precise MG subtyping and smarter, personalized treatment choices for patients who do not respond to current IgG-focused therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show MG is diverse; this project explores a novel IgM-driven mechanism not yet fully characterized.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: O'connor, Kevin C — Yale University
- Study coordinator: O'connor, Kevin C
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
Biological age in myasthenia gravis: guiding who responds to treatment
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.
-
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.
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.