How skull bone marrow senses and reacts to brain inflammation
Local Skull Marrow Sensing and Response to CNS Inflammation
Researchers will find out whether tiny channels let cerebrospinal fluid reach skull bone marrow so marrow cells can detect and respond to brain inflammation, which may help people with meningitis and other brain infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11320847 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will look at tiny channels that may carry cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from around the brain into the skull’s bone marrow and how marrow cells respond. Scientists will use experiments in mice and analyze human tissue samples to map these channels, measure what can pass through them, and see how the marrow changes during infection. They will specifically test how bacterial meningitis affects CSF flow into the skull marrow and whether bacteria or immune signals travel that route. The work aims to show whether the skull marrow is a surveillance site that could be targeted for diagnosis or treatment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with bacterial meningitis or other central nervous system inflammation, or patients willing to donate CSF or skull marrow tissue for research at the study site.
Not a fit: People with neurological conditions that do not involve brain inflammation or infection are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this specific research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal a new route for detecting or treating brain infections by targeting skull marrow responses.
How similar studies have performed: This builds on recent findings that skull marrow–brain channels exist in mice and humans, but using these channels to sample CSF in infections is a new idea with only early supporting data.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Moskowitz, Michael a. — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Moskowitz, Michael a.
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 below.