Stanford sleep doctor’s narcolepsy breakthrough began with dogs

Key Points:

• Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, a Stanford sleep medicine professor, won the prestigious Lasker Award for his groundbreaking research on narcolepsy, a sleep disorder affecting about 200,000 people in the U.S. and also seen in dogs like his Chihuahua, Watson.
• Mignot’s research, inspired by narcoleptic dogs, identified a gene linked to narcolepsy that controls a receptor for the neuropeptide orexin, whose disruption causes the disorder; this discovery was made simultaneously with Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa’s identification of orexin itself.
• After two decades, a treatment approved by the FDA now helps restore the brain’s ability to use orexin, and Mignot’s ongoing work suggests narcolepsy may be an autoimmune disorder triggered by factors such as the flu, offering potential for future prevention via vaccine modification.
• Mignot hopes that insights from narcolepsy research could lead to new treatments for other neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and depression, and he remains dedicated to improving patient care while envisioning a future cure.
• Beyond his scientific achievements, Mignot’s personal story includes caring for narcoleptic dogs, including Watson, who serves as both companion and inspiration, highlighting the close bond between his research and real-life impact.