Researchers at UCSF have developed a novel diagnostic for autoimmune neurological diseases.
Autoimmune encephalitis and ataxia are serious neurological conditions that can be life-threatening if they are not diagnosed early. Diagnosis is challenging because symptoms vary widely, imaging and lab tests are often non-specific, and these diseases can resemble other disorders. One reliable clue is the presence of immune antibodies that mistakenly target proteins in the nervous system, which can be detected in blood or cerebrospinal fluid. In some well-defined conditions, these antibodies are sufficient to make a clear diagnosis. Although many such antibody–disease links are known, a large number of cases, especially certain unexplained ataxias, likely involve immune mechanisms that have not yet been identified.
Stage of Research
This invention encompasses a novel potential diagnostic avenue for patients with paraneoplastic disorders, which result from an autoimmune response, typically triggered by certain types of cancers such as small cell lung cancer. Briefly, researchers have found that autoantibodies against the protein RIMKLA in a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or blood correlate with having a paraneoplastic disorder. Specifically, these antibodies seem to react with a few specific short peptide sequences within the protein with high specificity. This discovery can be used to develop novel diagnostics for paraneoplastic syndromes, for which there are currently few diagnostics.
Applications
Advantages
Stage of Development
Research- in vitro
Keywords
Autoimmune, Autoantibody
Technology Reference
CZ Biohub ref. no. CZB-329F
UCSF Ref. no. SF2025-142