Studies on stem cell factor receptor (c-kit) control of chronic inflammation

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This project will elucidate the mechanism and biological importance of a recently identified gene, c-kit, that specifically control chronic inflammation in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of many population wide-spread diseases, e.g. RA, Multiple Sclerosis and Asthma. Therefore, it is of great importance to find a way to control the “chronicity component” of inflammation. Data, in this project, show that the mechanism and genetic regulation of chronic inflammation is different from acute inflammation. The c-kit gene is identified as a specific regulator of chronic inflammation. This project aims to confirm the finding in human material and reveal the mechanism behind the c-kit regulation. The goal is to find therapeutics that specifically can turn off chronic inflammation and find predisposing markers to identify patients that will benefit from this therapeutics.