Harnessing the Melanocortin System (MCS) to moderate inflammation and enhance healthy ageing

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Inflammation is an evolutionary conserved biological response in mammals characterised by cell recruitment and release of critical chemokines/cytokines, growth factors and peptide hormones that orchestrate the protective reaction and lead to resolution and tissue repair. Two major cell types that coordinate these responses are macrophages and fibroblast. With age inflammation become prolonged and fails to resolve. The melanocortins have critical roles in regulating inflammation by modulating cell recruitment, adhesion and cytokine release. This project will explore the melanocortin pathways in inflammation and discover the key receptors and ligands that mediate the inflammatory function of macrophages and theirinteraction with fibroblast.