This series on “Clinical and Biological Aspects of Autoimmunity Associated with Thymic Pathology”, edited by Drs Rohan Maniar, Maria Isabel Leite, Henry Kaminski, Linda Kusner, provide a comprehensive overview of thymoma-associated autoimmune diseases, including myasthenia gravis, highlighting current insights into pathogenesis, autoantibody mechanisms, and integrated medical management. It brings together leading experts from around the world across immunology, neurology, oncology, radiology, pathology, and thoracic surgery. The series will also address pediatric cases, perioperative management, and patient perspectives, providing a multidisciplinary and international insight into this complex and evolving field.
This series on “Clinical and Biological Aspects of Autoimmunity Associated with Thymic Pathology”, edited by Drs Rohan Maniar, Maria Isabel Leite, Henry Kaminski, Linda Kusner, provide a comprehensive overview of thymoma-associated autoimmune diseases, including myasthenia gravis, highlighting current insights into pathogenesis, autoantibody mechanisms, and integrated medical management. It brings together leading experts from around the world across immunology, neurology, oncology, radiology, pathology, and thoracic surgery. The series will also address pediatric cases, perioperative management, and patient perspectives, providing a multidisciplinary and international insight into this complex and evolving field.
Rohan Maniar, MD
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Dr. Rohan Maniar is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine. He trained in internal medicine and oncology at Weill Cornell Medical Center and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
His research focuses on the tumor immune microenvironment and the development of immune-based therapeutic strategies, particularly immune checkpoint blockade and combination immunotherapy. He has conducted translational and preclinical studies on T-cell biology, immune memory, and mTOR–PI3K–AKT signaling pathways, integrating multi-omics.
Dr. Maniar’s current work extends to clinical trial development and translational studies in cancer immunotherapy and thymic epithelial tumors, with a focus on immune-related adverse events and paraneoplastic autoimmune syndromes.
Maria Isabel Leite, MD, DPhil, FRCP
Medical Sciences Division, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Dr. Maria Isabel Leite is Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Oxford and a leading expert in autoimmune neurology. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Porto and completed her DPhil at Oxford.
Her research focuses on autoimmune disorders of the neuromuscular junction, particularly myasthenia gravis and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, including thymoma-associated and immune therapy-related forms. She has led multiple funded research programs and serves as principal investigator in several translational and clinical studies in autoimmune neurology.
Her work bridges clinical neurology and immunology, with a strong focus on disease mechanisms, antibody-mediated pathology, and therapeutic development.
Henry J. Kaminski, MD
Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
Dr. Henry Kaminski is the Jeffrey Lieberman Professor of Neurosciences and a leading investigator in myasthenia gravis research. He has over 25 years of experience in clinical, translational, and basic science studies of autoimmune neuromuscular disease.
He has contributed significantly to major NIH-funded initiatives, including serving on the executive committee of the MGTX trial establishing the benefit of thymectomy in generalized myasthenia gravis, and as Principal Investigator of MGNet within the NIH Rare Disease Clinical Research Network.
His research spans complement biology, targeted immune therapies, biological aging in autoimmunity, and the application of digital and AI-based tools for neuromuscular disease assessment.
Linda Kusner, PhD
Laboratory for Myasthenia Gravis Research, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
Dr. Linda Kusner is a Research Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at George Washington University and a member of the MGNet Rare Disease Clinical Research Network. She earned her PhD from Case Western Reserve University.
Her research focuses on skeletal muscle biology and autoimmune neuromuscular disorders, particularly myasthenia gravis. She investigates muscle-specific immune responses, extraocular muscle physiology, and mechanisms of neuromuscular dysfunction in autoimmune disease.
Her current work emphasizes translational strategies to improve therapy, including complement-targeted approaches at the neuromuscular junction and modulation of autoreactive immune pathways.
Series outline:
- The normal thymus from conception to old age
- Histological spectrum of thymic disorders
- Radiological characteristics of thymic disorders - clues to distinguish thymic malignancy vs benign disorders
- Thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis
- Thymoma-associated autoimmunity beyond myasthenia gravis
- Pathogenesis of thymoma-associated autoimmunity
- Autoantibodies and their effector mechanisms in thymoma-associated autoimmunity
- Medical management of thymoma: integration of oncology and autoimmunity care
- Pediatric thymoma-associated autoimmune disease: unique challenges
- Pre- and peri-operative management of patients with immunological conditions associated with thymic disorders
- Thymic hyperplasia and the immunopathogenesis of myasthenia gravis
- Patient perspectives on living with autoimmune disorders and thymoma
Disclosure:
The series “Clinical and Biological Aspects of Autoimmunity Associated with Thymic Pathology” was commissioned by the editorial office, Mediastinum without any sponsorship or funding. Drs Rohan Maniar, Maria Isabel Leite, Henry Kaminski, Linda Kusner, serve as the unpaid Guest Editors for the series.