Childhood Pacemaker Implant
A two-year-old child received a pacemaker implant that ultimately directed Jesse M. Levine toward a career in medical research. “I had a pacemaker implanted when I was two years old,” Dr. Levine said.
“As a kid, I thought it was so cool that someone had an interesting idea and they were able to invent a device that directly impacted my life,” Dr. Levine said. “I always knew that I wanted to create something or innovate in a way that helped people.”
Neuroimmunology Research Focus
College studies sparked an interest in the brain, neurology, and neuroscience before clinical training shifted focus toward neuroimmunology patients. “These patients can have psychiatric, cognitive, motor, and sensory effects, but there’s still so much we don’t know about how to diagnose and treat these issues,” Dr. Levine said. “As someone interested in solving mysteries, I was drawn in and I translated my interest in medical innovation to neuroimmunology.”
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Role
An away rotation at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles during medical school involved working alongside Jonathan D. Santoro, MD, which inspired a return to the institution. Dr. Levine now works as an attending physician and investigator in the Neuroimmunology Program within the Neurological Institute at CHLA.
“I’m interested in the underlying molecular mechanisms of rare pediatric neuroinflammatory diseases,” Dr. Levine said. “I’m ultimately working towards the goal of more precise diagnostics and therapeutics for these conditions.”
Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder
Current projects include developing a multi-omics pipeline to evaluate immune dysregulation pathways in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, which affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. “We have identified a few patients with monogenic causes of their disease and the variants that these patients had implicated a particular immune signaling pathway called type 1 interferon, so I’m looking into that as a component of the pathogenesis of that disease,” Dr. Levine explained.
Questions About Pediatric Neuroimmunology
What condition does Dr. Levine’s current project evaluate?
Her project evaluates neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, an autoimmune condition affecting the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
Which immune signaling pathway is implicated in the studied disease variants?
Variants identified in certain patients implicate an immune signaling pathway called type 1 interferon, according to Dr. Levine.
Where does Dr. Levine currently practice medicine?
She works as an attending physician and investigator in the Neuroimmunology Program within the Neurological Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.