Researchers investigate the impact on the immune system.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to muscle loss and can severely impair the mobility of those affected. It is usually caused by a defect in the SMN1 gene, which is expressed in all cells of the body. Whether this mutation also affects the immune system remains largely underexplored. That is precisely what researchers from TWINCORE, the Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, and Hannover Medical School (MHH) have now investigated. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.