How immune antibodies damage the neuromuscular connection in myasthenia gravis
Official title: Mechanisms of autoimmunity in myasthenia gravis
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11127030 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how antibodies made by the immune system weaken muscles in people with myasthenia gravis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | November 4, 2015 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $335,000 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI114780-09S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11127030 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with acetylcholine receptor-positive myasthenia gravis, especially those with early-onset or late-onset disease who can provide blood and, when clinically available, thymus tissue.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without AChR autoantibodies (for example those with purely MuSK-positive or seronegative MG) or those unwilling to provide samples are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific work.
What this research studies
If you have myasthenia gravis, researchers will compare immune cells and antibodies from people with early-onset and late-onset disease to learn why the immune attack differs. They will examine blood and thymus tissue when available to find the types of antibodies and immune cells involved. In the lab they will test how those antibodies block acetylcholine receptors, cause receptors to be pulled into cells, or trigger complement that damages the neuromuscular junction. The team will use these findings to explain differences between patient subgroups and point toward treatments that target the specific damaging mechanisms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of the specific antibody actions could lead to more targeted treatments that reduce muscle weakness with fewer side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that AChR antibodies can block receptors, cause receptor loss, and trigger complement, but this project applies modern tools to clarify differences between patient subtypes and is partly novel.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.