Myasthenia Gravis (MG)

Research

MDA’s commitment to research on myasthenia gravis (MG) began decades ago when little was known about the disease and its mortality rate was significantly higher than it is today.

In the early 1970s, MDA-funded researchers made groundbreaking discoveries that helped establish the autoimmune nature of MG. They demonstrated that individuals with MG have a reduced number of acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, and that antibodies targeting these receptors can induce MG-like symptoms in laboratory animals. These findings laid the foundation for the lifesaving use of immunosuppressant drugs to manage the disease.

MDA-funded researchers also pioneered plasmapheresis as a treatment for MG—a technique that removes harmful antibodies from the bloodstream. Today, scientists are refining this approach to selectively sift out only the unwanted, disease-causing antibodies, while preserving those that play a beneficial role in immune function.

Current research continues to build on these advances:

Scientists are now working to better understand the complex autoimmune mechanisms underlying MG and to improve both detection and treatment strategies. One promising area of investigation involves monoclonal antibodies, engineered molecules designed to target and deplete immune cells responsible for producing abnormal and harmful antibodies.

Another area of focus is shifting from broadly suppressing the immune system to "rebalancing" the immune system. One way to rebalance the overactive immune system is by enhancing the activities or numbers of so-called regulatory T cells, which dampen an immune response that has gotten out of hand.

The surgical removal of the thymus gland, or thymectomy, is also being studied to better understand the optimal timing, use, and effectiveness of this procedure across different patient populations.

Additionally, the search for biomarkers is an active avenue of interest, with the goal of enabling earlier diagnosis, better disease monitoring, and more personalized treatment strategies.

Finally, some current research is focused on understanding the physiology of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the site of communication between nerves and muscles, with the goal of enhancing its function even when under attack by the immune system.

To learn more about clinical trial opportunities in MG, please visit clinical trial finder or go to clinicaltrials.gov and search for “myasthenia gravis” in the condition or disease field. To discover how MDA is accelerating progress in MG through research funding – visit MDA’s Grants at a Glance.

Last reviewed June 2025 by Neelam Goyal, MD.