Talk title: "Regulatory T Lymphocyte Immunomodulatory Therapy for ALS"

Stanley H. Appel, MD is Director of the Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics at Houston Methodist Research Institute conducting ALS research focused on neuroinflammation as a driver of disease progression and as a target for immnomodulatory therapy. The impaired suppressive functions of regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) in ALS enhance neuroinflammation, escalate disease burden, and curtail patient survival. Expansion of Tregs ex vivo restores suppressive functions; autologous infusions of expanded Tregs provide a promising approach for slowing disease progression in ALS. His career as Chair of Neurology spans more than 50 years, training over 275 Neurologists and 70 post-doctoral scientists.