Welcome to The Gharagozloo Lab!

The Multiple Sclerosis Precision Medicine and Neuroimmunology Lab Hub

The Gharagozloo’s Lab is located on the 5th floor of the newly renovated CMSC Research Building. 

The lab has access to other laboratories and core facilities at the School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital 

Our research focuses on understanding the immunological mechanisms underlying chronic neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). In the Gharagozloo lab, we utilize various MS experimental models to expedite the discovery of innovative therapeutic approaches to stop neurodegeneration and promote remyelination. We aim to treat MS by shifting the nervous system from vulnerability to resilience in the face of chronic neuroinflammation.

Big‑Picture Vision: 

"Fighting inflammation. Building cellular resilience"

This principle guides our scientific philosophy. In MS, the inflammatory environment of the CNS is difficult to eliminate completely. Instead, we seek to empower CNS cells themselves, enhancing their ability to tolerate inflammation, veto death signals, and maintain long‑term survival. Our strategy is boosting innate immune tolerance and cellular resilience to inflammatory stress. 

Our work aims to sustain neuronal and glial health, preserve neural circuits, and ultimately promote durable neuroprotection in chronic diseases such as MS. A major focus is targeting mitochondrial innate immune signaling for neuroprotection in MS. 

The lab specializes in MS experimental models, particularly retinal and optic neuritis models of MS, using the visual system as both a mechanistic discovery platform and a translational testbed for neuroprotective and ocular gene therapies.