Research finds physical connection between the brain's fluid reservoirs and meningeal lymphatics

Reviewed by Alina Shrourou, B.Sc. (Editor)Sep 18 2018

PureTech Health plc ("PureTech Health"), an advanced biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for dysfunctions of the Brain-Immune-Gut (BIG) Axis, today notes the publication of research in Nature Neuroscience that identifies the physical connection between the brain's fluid reservoirs and the meningeal lymphatics, through which immune cells traffic out of the central nervous system (CNS). The publication also demonstrates that modulation of this trafficking pattern has the potential to improve symptoms in many neuroinflammatory conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). These new insights build on foundational science published as the cover story of Nature in August 2018, and the underlying intellectual property is being developed within PureTech's Internal division.

The new research was conducted by PureTech Health collaborator Jonathan Kipnis, Ph.D., Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience, and Director, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Dr. Kipnis' latest work shows the trafficking of pathogenic T cells between the cerebrospinal fluid and the meningeal lymphatics in a preclinical model of MS, making it the first to identify the role of the meningeal lymphatic system in the context of neuroinflammatory conditions.

Joseph Bolen, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at PureTech Health, said: "The latest discovery is the third chapter in the brain lymphatics narrative that began in 2015 when Dr. Kipnis' laboratory first reported the existence of the meningeal lymphatics. The second chapter, published just a few weeks ago in Nature, revealed that the meningeal lymphatics are the principal fluid drainage mechanism of the brain and that this function is critical for brain health. This latest research identifies the direct connection - or 'hot spot' - between the brain and the meningeal lymphatic system, which offers a novel therapeutic approach for potentially addressing these debilitating and devastating neurological diseases."

Dr. Kipnis commented on this announcement, "This work further suggests that the lymphatic system plays a critical role in the central nervous system, specifically, the regulation of meningeal immunity and neuroinflammation. I look forward to working with PureTech Health as they further advance these findings to potentially improve intervention and treatment of neuroinflammatory disease."