Jewell Research Lab’s Novel Autoimmune Disease Research Published in Three Top Journals

A novel treatment approach for combating autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer, piloted in the Jewell Research Lab, was recently published in three top journals: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Cell Press Molecular Therapy, and Biomaterials.

In MS and other autoimmune diseases, the body mistakenly attacks its own tissue. For MS, myelin — the protective sheath that surrounds nerves — is targeted, causing symptoms such as paralysis and cognitive deterioration. There is no cure for MS, and treatment costs can reach millions of dollars over a lifetime. What’s more, current drugs for treating MS can suppress parts of the immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to infections and unable to receive certain vaccines.

Led by Chris Jewell, Robert E. Fischell Institute Professor of Translational Engineering, the treatment focuses on selectively retraining immune cells to stop the body from attacking its own tissue without suppressing the healthy parts of the immune system needed to fight infection.

“Autoimmune diseases are terrible conditions with tremendous unmet needs,” said Jewell. “In our new work, we use degradable polymer particles that are engineered to be too large to drain out of lymph nodes once injected. Instead, the particles slowly degrade and release cues that teach the immune system to respond differently to myelin. We show in preclinical models of MS that a single dose durably reverses paralysis and eliminates disease-induced lesions in the brain. We also show that this immunotherapy is safe in nonhuman primates.”

This approach was a collaborative effort between the Jewell Research Lab, Dr. Jonathan Bromberg, professor of surgery, microbiology, and immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and additional collaborators from the Pierson Laboratory, led by Dr. Richard Pierson, at Harvard Medical School.

“This work advances our approach to treating autoimmune diseases by showing potent efficacy, specificity, and durability in preclinical models — all goals of new therapies for MS,” said Senta Kapnick, associate research scientist and VA career development fellow in the Jewell Lab, and lead author of the PNAS paper. “Also of interest is that we describe how immune responses are reprogrammed by particles. This kind of understanding could help us engineer even more robust outcomes; and, excitingly, explore how those principles can be applied to treating other autoimmune diseases in addition to MS.”

The team’s local lymph node approach improves durability without ongoing treatment, and minimizes off-target side effects. Additionally, the solution can be used to target cancerous tumors by telling lymph nodes to activate the immune system against them.

This suite of work is the foundation of Nodal Therapeutics, a UMD spinout advancing microparticle-based lymph node therapies toward human clinical trials for autoimmune diseases.

“Dr. Jewell and his lab embody the Fischell Institute’s mission by turning an idea into real impact,” said William Bentley, director of the Fischell Institute. “His team’s approach to immune engineering shows how creative, translational research can move discoveries from the lab toward real solutions that improve lives.”

Images courstey of the Jewell Research Lab.

Published November 7, 2025