Understanding how autoimmunity causes myasthenia gravis
Official title: Mechanisms of autoimmunity in myasthenia gravis
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11617060 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at why the immune system attacks the nerve-muscle connection in myasthenia gravis and how different patient groups are affected.
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 | August 1, 2015 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $125,625 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI114780-10S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11617060 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with myasthenia gravis, especially those with AChR-related disease, diverse age of onset, and thymic involvement, may be eligible for insights that guide future treatments.
✕Less likely to help
Results may not directly change treatment for all MG patients in the short term.
What this research studies
Myasthenia gravis is a disease where autoantibodies disrupt the neuromuscular junction, causing weakness and fatigue. The research explores the ways AChR autoantibodies harm signaling, including docking interference, receptor loss, and tissue damage from the immune system. It also investigates differences between early-onset and late-onset MG, including thymic changes and immune cell organization, to understand why patients respond differently. The goal is to uncover disease mechanisms that could lead to more targeted and effective treatments for MG patients in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of MG could lead to more precise therapies and improved symptom control for patients.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown that dissecting immune pathways in MG can reveal distinct disease subtypes that respond differently to therapies.
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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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.
-
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.