Franz Blaes

Dept. of Clinical Neurology
Justus-Liebig-University
Am Steg 14
35392 Giessen
Germany
Tel: +49 641 9945357
Fax: +49 641 9945449

 

Website: http://www.uniklinikum-giessen.de/neuro/autoimmun.html

Dr. Franz BLAES, MD is a consultant in Clinical Neuroimmunology and neurophysiology and Group Leader, Autoantibody Research Group, Dept. of Neurology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany. Our lab offers examination for antineuronal autoantibodies by immunohistochemistry and immunoblot including all previously characterised antibodies. Additionally complete CSF examination is also done in the lab.

Areas of interest
The main goal of the group is the identification of new autoantigens in antibody-mediated diseases, establishment of new test systems and the functional characterisation of autoantibodies. The group provides a variety of molecular biological and protein chemical techniques, leading to the identification of a new autoantigen in paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (synaptophysin, Tschernatsch et al. 2008) and the identification of receptor autoantigens in complex-regional pain syndrome (current patent application EC).

Scientific team

Dept. of Clinical Neurology
Marlene Tschernatsch MD
Verena Fühlhuber MD
Pratibha Singh PhD
Edith Löffler (Technician)

Dept of Biochemistry
Klaus Preissner MD PhD

Research facilities
Immunohistochemistry, Western blot, 2D-Blot (with MALDI-TOF), cell culture, flow cytometry, cell biological assays (2nd messenger phosphorylation, cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, cell migration, axon sprouting)

Bibliography (selected)

1. Schäfer KH, Klotz M, Mergner D, Mestres P, Schimrigk K, Blaes F. 2000. IgG-mediated cytotoxicity to myenteric plexus cultures in patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. J Autoimmunity 15: 479-484.
2. Blaes F, Tschernatsch M, Schmitz K, Kaps M, Krasenbrink I, Hempelmann G, Bräu M. 2004 Autoimmune etiology of complex regional pain syndrome (M. Sudeck). Neurology 63: 1734-36
3. Blaes F, Fühlhuber V, Korfei M, Tschernatsch M, Behnisch W, Rostasy K, Hero B, Preissner KT, Kaps M. Surface-binding autoantibodies to cerebellar granular neurons in opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome. Ann Neurol 2005; 58: 313-17
4. Tschernatsch M, Klotz M, Probst C, Hosch J, Valtorta F, Diener M, Gerriets T, Kaps M, Schäfer KH, Blaes F. Synaptophysin is an autoantigen in paraneoplastic neuropathy. J Neuroimmunol 2008; 197: 81-86
5. Fühlhuber V, Bick S, Kirsten A, Hahn A, Gerriets T, Tschernatsch M, Kaps M, Preissner KT, Blaes F, Altenkämper S. Elevated B-cell activating factor BAFF, but not APRIL, correlates with CSF cerebellar autoantibodies in pediatric opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome. J Neuroimmunol 2009; 210: 87-91