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Clinical Diseases Section
Henry F. McFarland, M.D., Senior Investigator
Dr. McFarland received his B.A. degree from the University of Arizona and his M.D. in 1966 from the University of Colorado. Following a residency in neurology at Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. McFarland did postdoctoral research in neurovirology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and in immunology at University College London, before returning to Hopkins as a neurologist. In 1975, Dr. McFarland came to NIH as deputy chief of the Neuroimmunology Branch of NINDS, where he has served as chief since 1993. In 1998 he was awarded the Dystal Prize for outstanding research in multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. McFarland's laboratory studies the cellular immune response to autoantigens of the CNS and examines therapeutic strategies targeting this response. Additional research includes studies of the natural history of MS using MRI and identifying effective designs for clinical trials of new therapies for MS.
Staff:
- Stasia Anderson, Staff Scientist, 301-402-6391 andersos@ninds.nih.gov
- Francesca Bagnato, Research Fellow, 301-402-6391 bagnato@ninds.nih.gov
- Nicole Baker, Secretary, 301-496-1801 bakern@ninds.nih.gov
- Bibiana Bielekova, M.D., Staff Clinician, 301-933-9699 bielekob@ninds.nih.gov
- Thomas Howard, Research Assistant, 301-402-1981 howardt@ninds.nih.gov
- Jaebong Huh, Research Assistant, 301-496-0586 huhj@ninds.nih.gov
- Kouichi Ito, Senior Research Fellow, 301-496-0586 itok@ninds.nih.gov
- Diane McPhail, Program Specialist, 301-496-1801 mcphaild@ninds.nih.gov
- Roger Stone, Research Assistant, 301-496-0518 stoner@ninds.nih.gov
Research Interests:
Dr. McFarland’s research interests include the use of MRI to better understand the natural history of MS and to study the effect of new therapies on MS.
Over the past decade work done in the NIB and
elsewhere using MRI to study MS has provided
important new insights into the disease process. Studies of patients very early in the course of the disease have shown that the disease is often active even when the patient is stable clinically. This finding has had important implications on the initiation of treatment soon after the diagnosis is made. Other studies have shown that the progressive course of the disease is associated with degenerative processes in contrast to the inflammatory mechanisms seen during the early phase of the illness.
Current studies are designed to examine the importance of the inflammatory aspects of the illness in determining the magnitude of progression and tissue loss later in the disease. These studies examine the correlations of MRI measures of acute disease with MRI measures of tissue destruction. Other studies are designed to examine the relationship between the level of disease activity seen on MRI, both the inflammatory and destructive components, and immunological measurements which are thought to be related to the pathogenesis of the disease.
Finally, studies are conducted that test the ability of new therapies on disease activity seen on MRI. The studies are designed to use a small number of individuals to provide preliminary information of the effectiveness and safety of these new treatments. The emphasis is on therapies that are thought to modify the immune response in specific ways, many of which have been studied in animal models or in tissue culture in the NIB.Studies designed to examine disease mechanisms in employ the animal model experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), and MRI measures of disease activity. Recent studies have explored that ability of using lymphocytes labeled with iron oxide to trace the trafficking of the lymphocytes into new lesions in EAE. Similar approaches are being used to study the potential for various types of stem cells to initiate repair of myelin.
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Clinical Protocols:
- Combined Clinical, Immunological, and Virological Assessment of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 76-N-0021
- Evaluation of Progression in Multiple Sclerosis by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 89-N-0045
- A 48-Week (24-Week Baseline followed by 24-Week Treatment) Phase II Pilot Study of the Tolerability and Effect/Efficacy of Subcutaneously Administered Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (rhIGF) (CEP-151) in Multiple Sclerosis 97-N-0148
- Immuno-Virological Evaluation of Human T Cell Leukemia Virus Type-1-Associated Myelopathy 98-N-0047
- Double-Blind, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Baseline vs. Treatment Trial Evaluating the Safety, Tolerability and Effect on MRI Lesion and Immunology Parameters of Low vs. High Dose CGP 77116 in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 98-N-0069
- Combined Virological and Immunological Evaluation of Treatment of Patients with Early HTLV-1-Associated Myelopathy with Recombinant Human Interferon Beta-1a 98-N-0160
- Effect of Humanized Antibody (Zenapax) Specific for the Alpha Subunit of Interleukin-2 on Disease Activity as Measured by MRI in MS: A Single Center, Phase I/II, Open Label, Crossover Study 99-N-0169
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Contact Information:
Dr. Henry F. McFarland
Clinical Diseases Section
Neuroimmunology Branch, NINDS
Building 10, Room 5C103
10 Center Drive, MSFC 1400
Bethesda, MD 20892-4128
Telephone: 301-496-1801 office,
301-496-0064 laboratory,
Email: henrymcf@helix.nih.gov
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