New research: A potential role for immune cells in neuromuscular degeneration
Oct 2025: Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that causes infiltration of immune cells into muscle in MND, which may contribute to neurodegeneration.
New research by Euan MacDonald Centre members has uncovered a potential link between the immune system and the degeneration of neuromuscular junctions, which connect the motor neurons to muscles. The researchers found an increase in immune cells in muscle biopsies taken from people with MND, and in mouse models of the condition. They also uncovered the cellular machinery that drives this infiltration of immune cells, and showed that by blocking the machinery, the neuromuscular junction was protected.
The connection between the motor neuron and the muscle is a critical point that fails in MND. If the immune cells contribute to degeneration, these experiments offer a promising direction for further research.
The work was undertaken by visiting academic and clinical fellow Bernát Nógrádi, with Prof Tom Gillingwater, Dr Helena Chaytow and team at the University of Edinburgh.
The image, taken with kind permission from the article in Nature Communications, shows immune cells (coloured magenta) infiltrating skeletal muscle around the neuromuscular junction (green) in mouse models of motor neuron disease.
Related links
Read the scientific article, "The CCL2-CCR2 axis drives neuromuscular denervation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis": doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62351-3
Prof Tom Gillingwater's profile
Dr Helena Chaytow (Edinburgh Research Explorer profile - external website)