John Soltys¹

¹University of South Alabama

The complement system is an ancient, innate immune defense pathway that additionally serves multiple roles in maintaining tissue homeostasis and regulating central nervous system development. Aberrant complement activation has been demonstrated in a host of neurological disorders targeting muscle, the neuromuscular junction, peripheral nerves, and the central nervous system. These include both classical autoimmune disorders such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and myasthenia gravis, in addition to emerging roles in neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This talk reviews the molecular mechanisms governing complement pathway activation, the coordinating roles complement activation plays in the immunopathogenesis of neuroimmunologic disorders, and emerging therapeutic strategies to harness complement activation to improve patient outcomes.