Dr. Josep Dalmau leads the IDIBAPS group Pathogenesis of autoimmune neuronal disorders, where he studies a group of disorders at the intersection of autoimmunity, cancer and synaptic proteins. He is an ICREA Research Professor of the IDIBAPS and Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Dalmau is a clinical neuro-oncologist trained and working as Associate Professor of Neurology in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His presentation was highly motivating and offered a chance to know in detail the work developed by a team which in the last years has discovered a new category of autoimmune processes.
The works led by Dr. Josep Dalmau identified unexpected causes of the autoimmune encephalitis, such as a teratoma or herpes virus. After defining the antibodies involved in different forms of the disease, they were able to develop effective treatments for patients who otherwise could have died. They work with animal models too, and receive clinical samples from around the globe to be studied. You can learn more about his works in their team’s webpage.
Learn about the next IDIBAPS Seminars 2013.
