UNMC takes first steps in treating autoimmune disorders with a therapy originally used for cancer

Jan Janisch-Hanzlik was out of options. In decline from progressive multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that damages the nerves, the nurse from Blair had gone from being a runner to now slowly walking with the aid of a cane.

By this point, "I was very limited," with no drug or treatment that could slow her body's deterioration, Janisch-Hanzlik said. "You just continuously decline. You don't necessarily have any relapsing or any better periods."

But in November 2024, when meeting with her doctor, Rana Zabad, a neurologist at Nebraska Medicine who specializes in MS, Janisch-Hanzlik found a...