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Neuroimmunology José Enrique Martínez Rodríguez

The Neuroimmunology group was created in 2018 after initially being developed within the IMIM's Immunity and Infection group. Coordinated by Jose E. Martínez Rodriguez (CV, ORCID), the group studies the alterations of the immune system in neurological diseases using a translational approach centered on the patient's medical history. They are particularly interested in multiple sclerosis (MS) as a paradigmatic illness within the autoimmune pathologies of the central nervous system.

The group's current lines of research are focused on:

• The study of chronic herpes virus infections in MS (Epstein-Barr virus, Cytomegalovirus, herpesvirus 6) and their imprint on the Natural Killer (NK) cell compartment, evaluating the potential development of biomarker predictors of activity and progression.
• The immunophenotypic and functional analysis of adaptive NK cell populations and their role in the pathophysiology of MS and in the patient's medical history.
• Phenotypic and functional study of subpopulations of T and B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of MS patients, evaluating their relationship with clinical characteristics and treatments that modify the clinical course of the disease.

The group currently receives funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ISCIII Health Research Fund), and is part of the Spanish Network of Multiple Sclerosis (REEM). In addition, the Neuroimmunology group has extensive experience in implementing phase II and III clinical trials using diverse immunomodulatory therapies on MS patients. The team comprises a principal investigator, three clinical researchers, and an advanced clinical practice nurse who coordinates the clinical trials.