SUMMARY
Sarosh R. Irani, B.M.B., Ch., D.Phil., is a Mayo Clinic neurologist and scientist who leads a research team studying autoimmune neurological diseases. By studying patient samples, Dr. Irani and his team have made several findings that have been published in major journals.
His clinical team has:
- Recognized clinical features, particularly faciobrachial dystonic seizures, in people with LGI1 and CASPR2 autoantibodies.
- Found distinctive movement disorders and psychopathological features related to NMDAR-antibody encephalitis.
- Highlighted evidence supporting the importance of early immunotherapy in patients with autoimmune neurological diseases.
In the laboratory, his team has:
- Described LGI1 and CASPR2 antibodies and discovered their associated human leukocyte antigens.
- Found autoreactive B cells from the blood, tumors and lymph nodes of people with autoimmune encephalitis and neuromyelitis optica.
- Cloned autoantigen-reactive monoclonal antibodies to re-create these diseases for research.
Dr. Irani has supervised more than 50 international clinicians and scientists. He also has mentored several students to complete their doctoral degrees and many fellows to obtain independent funding.
Focus areas
Dr. Irani's clinical research interests include:
- Better understanding how autoimmune encephalitis affects people to define markers and measure effectiveness in clinical trials.
- Characterizing the effects of immunotherapies to achieve the best outcomes.
- Finding and understanding the phenotypes of people with encephalitis to better recognize these conditions.
Dr. Irani's laboratory interests include:
- Defining B cell dynamics. Dr. Irani's team researches the cross-compartmental dynamics of B cells. The team studies B cell receptor sequence profiles in spinal fluid and blood, and the neck lymph nodes.
- Monoclonal antibodies. Dr. Irani's team has gathered data on over 1,000 monoclonal antibodies directed against the antigenic targets of patients. These targets include LGI1, CASPR2, aquaporin-4 and NMDA receptors. Dr. Irani is working to better understand how monoclonal antibodies reproduce aspects of autoimmune diseases.
- Other neurological conditions. Dr. Irani's team translates findings to understand the immunology of epilepsy, rapidly progressive dementia and multiple sclerosis.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Irani and his team aim to improve outcomes for people with autoimmune neurological diseases by better understanding the biology of this rapidly expanding set of conditions.
Professional highlights
- Adjunct professor of neurology, University of Southern Denmark, 2022-present.
- Professor of autoimmune neurology, University of Oxford, 2021-2023.
- Clinical Science Prize, International Society of Neuroimmunology, 2021.
- Senior Clinical Fellowship, Medical Research Council, 2021.
- Senior Clinical Fellowship, National Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, 2020.
- Graham Bull Prize in clinical science and Goulstonian lectureship, Royal College of Physicians, 2019.
- Intermediate Fellowship, Wellcome, 2014.