# Immune Mechanisms in Cervical Dystonia

> **NIH NIH K23** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $214,785

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Dystonia is a disabling neurologic disorder, affecting more than 3 million people worldwide. It is characterized by
involuntary, painful muscle contractions that cause twisting movements leading to abnormal postures. Though
dystonia can affect any region of the body, cervical dystonia (CD) is the most common presentation. CD has
great etiologic heterogeneity, and the vast majority of cases are idiopathic. Identification of potential pathogenic
mechanisms is critical to the development of better diagnostic tools and treatment strategies. With the support
of this K23 award, Laura Scorr, MD, MSc, will define the role of immune mechanisms in CD. She will leverage a
local biobank in combination with brain specimens from the NIH NeuroBioBank, a unique and powerful national
resource for investigators utilizing human post-mortem brain tissue and related biospecimens for their research
to understand conditions of the nervous system. The proposed studies will analyze immune cell frequencies
(Aim 1), delineate indices of altered immune cell function and activation (Aim 2), and compare histopathologic
markers of immune activation in key brain regions implicated in dystonia pathogenesis (Aim 3) in CD as
compared to healthy controls. This research strategy will facilitate a 5-year career development and training plan
enabling Dr. Scorr to build on her background in statistical computing and clinical epidemiology and to gain
critical mentored research training. To achieve independence as a clinical investigator with a unique niche in the
immunology of dystonia, Dr. Scorr requires further training in: 1) neuroimmunology; 2) quantitative
neuroanatomical methods for detection of neuroimmune activity; and 3) bioinformatics and data science for the
identification of pathogenic pathways. To achieve these training aims, Dr. Scorr has assembled a
multidisciplinary mentorship team that includes lead mentor Dr. Hyder A. Jinnah, an expert in the biology of
dystonia, co-mentor Dr. William Tyor, an internationally recognized expert in translational neuroimmunology
research, co-mentor Dr. Jeremy Boss, a world-renowned immunologist, and co-mentor Dr. Yan Sun, an expert
in the analytic methods utilized for the discovery of potential pathogenic pathways. Emory University provides
an exceptional intellectual and collaborative environment for this research. By leveraging existing biobanks at
Emory and through the NIH NeuroBioBank, in combination with the support from her outstanding mentorship
team, Dr. Scorr will be well positioned to carry out the proposed study aims and training plan. In doing so, she
will develop the expertise and preliminary data to be competitive for NIH R01 and other funding using
immunophenotyping, transcriptomic, and neuroanatomical approaches to better understand dystonia biology,
inform clinical care, and the direct development of novel therapeutics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10985509
- **Project number:** 1K23NS133497-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura M Scorr
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $214,785
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10985509

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10985509, Immune Mechanisms in Cervical Dystonia (1K23NS133497-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10985509. Licensed CC0.

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