Myasthenia gravis

The pace at which our understanding of the immune system—and, along with it, autoimmune diseases like myasthenia gravis (MG)—has increased dramatically in the past few decades. So, too, has the pace of diagnostics and treatment.

Searching for better therapies

Established in 1977 the Neuromuscular Program at Children’s Hospital Boston was of the first clinics providing comprehensive care for patients with neuromuscular diseases. Today, we continue to offer the highest level of diagnostic and treatment services. Experts in our program closely tie clinical care to the latest developments in research.

A great deal of this research is going on right here at Children’s:

• Our physicians also have strong ties to research laboratories at Children’s that are finding the molecular underpinnings of neuromuscular diseases and developing potential treatments.

• The Samara Jan Turkel Clinical Center for Pediatric Autoimmune Diseases is helping to pioneer some of the most promising new therapies for these illnesses, including the use of biologics: protein-based drugs made from living cells cultured in a lab. 

• The Immune Disease Institute, a non-profit research and educational institution, is working in collaboration with Children’s Hospital Boston to accelerate groundbreaking research in immunology and inflammation and to translate basic discoveries into the clinical setting. Their work on autoimmunity centers on discovering what controls the interaction of immune cells with each other and understanding how genetic variation contributes to autoimmunity.