Research Focus Overview

Research Focus Overview

The Autoimmune Neurology Research Team

The Autoimmune Neurology Research Team studies autoimmune and inflammatory neurological disorders, including autoimmune encephalitis, paraneoplastic encephalitis, MOG-IgG associated disorder (MOGAD) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), neurosarcoidosis and immune-checkpoint-inhibitor-related neuroinflammatory disorders.

Our overall goal is to improve our care and the lives of our patients by examining the clinical and biological features of these disorders. This helps us better understand the underlying disease, natural history and factors that can modify the outcomes for our patients.

We have built a longitudinal clinical registry and biorepository of blood and CSF from people with autoimmune neurological disorders. Additionally, we have prospectively collected longitudinal advanced neuroimaging and cognitive measures, which enables us to examine biomarkers and clinical outcomes of autoimmune neurological disorders.

We are also conducting several clinical trials of experimental therapeutics in autoimmune neurological disorders (autoimmune encephalitis and MOGAD). This enables our patients to access the latest potential therapeutic options, participate in large multi-center studies and contribute to greater scientific understanding of these diseases.

Contact Information

Amy Kunchok, MD
kunchoa@ccf.org

Funding Sources

  • Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute Clinician Scientist Career Development Award 2025-2027: Advanced neuroimaging and association with clinical outcomes in autoimmune encephalitis.
  • Cleveland Clinic Imaging Institute pilot study grant: 7T MRI in MOGAD
  • Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Research Program Committee (RPC): Biomarkers of disease activity and clinical outcomes in autoimmune encephalitis.
  • Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers: Characterizing Clinical, Cognitive, and Radiological Outcomes in Patients with MOG Antibody Disorder and Multiple Sclerosis.
  • Society for Clinical Neuropsychology: Investigating long-term cognitive and functional outcomes of patients with anti-LGI-1 encephalitis.
Publications Members & Collaborations