BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Sean Pittock MD
Director
Mayo Clinic’s Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology
Director
Mayo’s Neuroimmunology Research Laboratory.
Rochester (MN), USA

Dr Pittock is a Professor of Neurology, Director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory (NIL), the Marilyn A. Park and Moon S. Park, M.D., Director of the Center for MS and Autoimmune Neurology and the Applebaum Family Professor of Neurosciences at the Mayo Clinic. His expertise is in the laboratory and clinic-based diagnosis and management of immune mediated neurological disorders. He currently serves as the chair of the Autoimmune Neurology Section at the American Academy Neurology. He has published more than 450 peer reviewed papers in the field of Autoimmune Neurology. His research is translational and is focused on 1) the identification of novel biomarkers of autoimmune neurological diseases (currently in clinical practice-AQP4, GFAP, MAP1B-IgG, Kelch11); 2) the clinical application of laboratory-based tests in diagnosis and outcome prediction (e.g. the first live cell flow cytometry- based assay for AQP4-IgG detection; 3) leading Phase 2 and 3 therapeutic trials. His main focus is on  “biomarker to near cure” through elucidation of immunopathologic mechanism and identification of novel therapeutic targets.

As Director of the Center for MS and Autoimmune Neurology, He has helped develop the largest biorepository (serum, CSF, PBMCs, DNA, plasma) of CNS inflammatory disorders in the world which serve as the backbone for a growing NIH and Industry funded program. He serves as Chair of Alexion’s Neuroimmunology Advisory Committee and sits on neuroimmunology advisory boards for UCB and Roche.