The overall goal of the The Immunogenetics of Neurological DIseases working GrOup (INDIGO) is to understand the determinants of disease risk in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, neuromyelitis optica, and myasthenia gravis. We will use next generation sequencing (NGS) along with a massive sample collection to characterize the HLA and KIR genes and alleles that make an individual susceptible to these central nervous system diseases.
To achieve our goals, we have assembled a multi-disciplinary international team that brings together complementary expertise (immuno- and neuro-genetics, clinical, and computational) and a remarkable track record of productivity to carry out a study of broad scope and depth. Through this collaboration, we will leverage rich and informative datasets exceeding 15,000 study participants (cases) and connect genetics with CNS disease utilizing advanced molecular and bio-informatics tools.
We believe the isolation of definite HLA-KIR associations with the risk of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration could be transformative by revealing fundamental insights about primary disease mechanisms.