Transformative advances in Guillain-Barré syndrome research

The Guillain-Barré Syndrome Innovation Alliance held its inaugural meeting focused on creating treatment solutions for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune disease increasingly recognized as a postinfectious neuropathy and the most common cause of paralysis since vaccines for polio. These collaborators, funded by the Department of War, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, span institutes/universities, including the University of Georgia, Michigan State University, Florida State University, the University of Utrecht, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Group efforts span biochemistry, epidemiology, immunology, medicine, microbiology, microbial ecology, glycobiology, neurology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and multiomics data science/computational biology. Our team is committed to the advancement of two core objectives: expanding understanding of biological mechanisms of GBS and developing more efficacious, targeted therapies. We are dedicated to finding alternative therapies for patients unresponsive to intravenous immunoglobulin and to creating affordable options to eliminate financial barriers to care.