Investigating the Association Between HERV-K Autoantibodies and Neurodegeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Molecular and Clinical Approach

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects about 400,000 people worldwide. Despite decades of intensive research, the cause of ALS remains widely unknown. Several studies documented the connection between Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HERV-K) and the development of ALS. Given the recent findings and emerging scientific evidence that reinforces this correlation, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the autoantibodies (AAbs) against the HERV-K envelope and the pathogenesis and progression of ALS. Our study gave particular attention to the humoral response toward the most immunogenic epitopes of the envelope protein. Additionally, since microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in regulating gene expression, our study investigated their potential involvement in ALS. Although miRNAs dysregulation has been previously associated with ALS, understanding of its potential impact on HERV-K transcriptional levels is still limited. By delving deeper into these topics, our project aimed to contribute to the development of new strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ALS. During my doctoral research, I had the opportunity to work on a project pertaining to the role of the humoral response against NL-63, HERVs, and Interferons in SARS-CoV-2 patients. The study was conducted during the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Its purpose was to better understand the reasons for the extremely diverse immune responses observed in the population through the detection of antibodies (Abs) that could cross-react with SARS-CoV-2 antigens or predict a more severe form of the disease.