KFO 170: Early Pathogenesis of Wegener's Granulomatosis: From Innate Immunity with Granuloma Formation to Autoimmunity.

临床研究组的目标是研究韦格纳肉芽肿(WG)的早期发病机制，即导致肉芽肿形成和自身免疫的病理机制。WG是一种病因不明的全身性慢性炎症性疾病。WG是一种模型疾病，用于分析自身免疫性疾病从误导的炎症过程演变而来。WG最初是呼吸道的肉芽肿性疾病，然后转化为威胁生命和/或器官的系统性自身免疫性脉管炎。虽然自身免疫性血管炎的发病机制似乎已基本了解，但其早期发病机制仍不清楚(肉芽肿的形成、控制肉芽肿性炎症和自身免疫的外源性和内源性因素)。

The goal of the Clinical Research Unit is to investigate the early pathogenesis of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), i.e. pathomechanisms resulting in granuloma formation and autoimmunity. WG is a systemic, chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. WG is a model disease for analysing the evolution of an autoimmune disease from a misdirected inflammatory process. WG starts as granulomatous disease of the respiratory tract before it converts into a life- and/or organ-threatening, systemic autoimmune-vasculitis. While the pathomechanism of the autoimmune vasculitis appears to have been basically understood, mechanisms of the early pathogenesis have remained elusive (induction of granuloma formation, exogenous and endogenous factors governing granulomatous inflammation and autoimmunity).