PhD defence by Zala Zebec

Astrocytes as Active Players in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

Assessment Committee:
Professor Finn Thorup Sellebjerg, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate professor Yaseelan Palarasah, University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
Dr Luca Peruzzotti-Jametti, University of Cambridge

Supervisors:
Professor Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas
Professor Cord Herbert Brakebusch
Associate Professor Yawei Liu

Department:
BRIC

Graduate Programme:
Molecular Mechanisms of Disease

Place:
Biocenter, BRIC, 1-2-03, Room: Seminar room (2nd floor), Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen

Email address to gain access to the thesis: zala.zebec@bric.ku.dk 
You will either receive a copy of the thesis or be informed where you can read a physical copy.
Recipients of copies of the thesis are not allowed to share or distribute it due to copyright compliance.

Short description of the thesis:
Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 10% of the global population, imposing a substantial personal and societal burden. In Neuromyelitis Spectrum Optica Disorder (NMOSD) the immune system targets the astrocytic Aquaporin-4, leading to astrocyte loss and subsequent neurodegeneration. In this PhD thesis, we investigated whether astrocytes, the primary target cells in NMOSD, are merely passive victims of autoimmune attack or may instead actively contribute to disease outcome.