Barancik Prize Winner Leads Team That Uncovers Waste System in the Brain
October 5, 2017
Daniel S. Reich, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke used advanced imaging techniques to identify drainage tubes -- “lymphatic vessels” that may serve to remove waste from the brain. These vessels are known to run alongside blood vessels, and provide a route for the recirculation of plasma (the liquid part of blood) and white blood cells through the body. The findings indicate that lymphatic vessels may serve as a link between the brain and the immune system. This may have relevance to diseases including multiple sclerosis, which involves immune attacks on the brain and spinal cord.
Dr. Reich is a previous winner of the prestigious
Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research, for his novel work on imaging disease activity in MS. His colleague Martina Absinta, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow partly funded by the National MS Society, also led these studies, along with researchers from the National Cancer Institute.
Read more in the news release from the National Institutes of Health
Read the paper in the online journal eLIFE
Read more about Dr. Reich’s prizewinning research on MS