Her lecture series will elaborate on new findings in the treatment and understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the CDC, MS is a disease of the central nervous system that is characterized by the destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding neurons. MS is a progressive and fluctuating disease that is three times more common in women than in men, and the cause of MS is unknown.
The first lecture, titled “Close Horizons: New Treatments for MS,” will take place on April 28 at 9 a.m. in the second floor conference room at the University of South Alabama Medical Center.
Dr. Cross’ second lecture, titled “B Cells and MS: Rationale for Depletion in MS Patients and Results of Trials,” will be at 11 a.m. on April 28 in the USA Department of Neurology at Med Park 3.
Her third lecture, titled “Pathogenesis of MS: An Update,” will be on April 29 at 8 a.m. in the second floor conference room at the University of South Alabama Medical Center.
The goal of Dr. Cross’ current efforts is to understand the mechanisms involved in pathogenesis of inflammation and demyelination in the brain and spinal cord. She is currently studying antibodies to myelin constituents and B cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and in MS; mechanisms of cytokine regulation in MS; and how to develop imaging techniques to identify demyelination versus axonal loss in the CNS of animals and patients. She is also involved in a Phase II trial of B cell depletion in MS patients that are not optimally treated with standard agents.
Dr. Cross is originally from the Mobile region. She graduated summa cum laude in 1976 with a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of South Alabama and cum laude with medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1980. For more than 17 years, Dr. Cross has performed important research and has educated students and residents.
