Gavin Giovannoni Professor of Neurology

 

Gavin Giovannoni was appointed to the Chair of Neurology, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Department of Neurology, Barts and The London NHS Trust in November 2006. He did his undergraduate medical training at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, where graduated cum laude in 1987 winning the prizes for best graduate in medicine and surgery. He moved to the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London in 1993 after completing his specialist training in neurology in South Africa. After three years as a clinical research fellow and two years as the Scarfe Lecturer he was awarded a PhD in immunology from the University of London in 1998. He was appointed as a Clinical Senior Lecturer, Royal Free and University College Medical School, in 1998 and moved back to Queen Square in 1999. He was made a Reader in Neuroimmunology in 2004.

Professor Giovannoni's current research is focused on: Epstein Barr virus as a possible cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), MS-related neurodegeneration, MS biomarker discovery, MS clinical outcome measures, MS clinical trials. This provides a clinical arm to complement the basic science arm of the laboratory lead by Professor David Baker. The aim of the group is to facilitate translation of basic science to the treatment of human disease.

A proportion of patients with MS treated with interferon-beta develop neutralizing antibodies to interferon-beta (NABs). As interferon-beta is a self protein the presence of NABs can be viewed as an iatrogenic autoimmune disease. Professor Giovannoni's group is using NABs as a model for testing immune tolerance strategies aimed at turning off autoimmunity.

Professor Giovannoni has also described an emerging group of movement and neuropsychiatric disorders associated with antibodies that react with specific antigenic determinants in the basal ganglia. The antigens are all membrane associated enzymes involved in the glycolytic pathway; their membrane function however may be unrelated to glycolysis. The group is currently investigating the pathogenic significance of these antibodies that react against the basal ganglia.

T cells proliferation and cytokine production in response to stimulation

 

Recent publications:

Polman CH et al A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of natalizumab for relapsing multiple sclerosis. N Engl J Med. 2006 ;354:899-910

Polman CH et al. Neutralizing antibodies to interferon beta: assessment of their clinical and radiographic impact Neurology. 2007;69:1553-4.

Giovannoni G et al. Safety and immunogenicity of a new formulation of interferon {beta}-1a (Rebif(R) New Formulation) in a Phase IIIb study in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis
Mult Scler. 2008 Aug 28.