Intestinal Dendritic Cell Modulation of Regulatory T Cell Function in IBD

描述(由申请人提供)： 项目概述：James Lord博士，医学博士，博士，是一位积极进取的高级胃肠病研究员，在基础免疫学研究方面有很强的背景。他近期的职业计划包括了解调节性T细胞(Treg)如何未能预防炎症性肠病的炎症。他建议研究IBD患者手术切除的肠道中的树突状细胞(DC)，以确定某些DC亚型是否以及如何阻止Tregs抑制其他T细胞。他计划鉴定这些DC产生的表面受体和可溶性细胞因子，并确定这些是否会损害Treg功能。他还将确定DC是否通过改变其他T细胞的分化来间接损害Treg功能，使其对Treg介导的抑制反应变得更慢。这项研究将在著名的Treg生物学家Steven Ziegler的指导下进行。齐格勒实验室在分子和细胞免疫学研究方面装备精良，存在于贝纳罗亚研究所(BRI)。一带一路是致力于研究自身免疫和慢性炎症的学术研究机构，因此拥有对人类免疫学研究至关重要的许多物质和人力资源。一带一路本身隶属于华盛顿大学，后者代表着一个庞大、享有盛誉和充满活力的研究社区。BRI还隶属于弗吉尼亚梅森医疗中心，并从该中心招募研究对象，该中心是太平洋西北部IBD最繁忙的第三转诊中心之一。洛德博士的长期职业计划包括在他的临床胃肠病学和基础免疫学双重背景的基础上，在庞大的临床胃肠病学社区和目前在西雅图的强大基础免疫学研究社区之间建立联系。他的职业发展计划列出了研究、教学课程以及出席地方和全国会议的课程，旨在将他培养成一名成功的翻译研究员。 与公共卫生相关：尽管我们对免疫系统的了解取得了重大进展，但IBD仍然是无法治愈的，对它的了解很少，而且具有挑战性，治疗费用也很高。如果拟议的实验揭示了IBD发生的基本机制，它们不仅可能揭示未来潜在的治疗策略，而且还可以让医生更好地针对他们今天的治疗方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: Dr. James Lord, M.D., Ph.D., is a motivated senior gastroenterology fellow with a strong background in basic immunology research. His immediate career plans involve understanding how regulatory T cells (Tregs) fail to prevent inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. He proposes to study dendritic cells (DC) in the surgically resected bowels of patients with IBD, to determine if and how certain subtypes of DC prevent Tregs from inhibiting other T cells. He plans to identify the surface receptors and soluble cytokines produced by these DC, and determine if these may impair Treg function. He also will determine if DC indirectly impair Treg function by altering the differentiation of other T cells to become less responsive to Treg-mediated inhibition. This research will be performed under the mentorship of Steven Ziegler, a well-established Treg biologist. The Ziegler lab is well equipped for molecular and cellular immunology research, and exists within the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI). The BRI is an academic research facility dedicated to the study of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions, and as such contains many material and human resources vital to the study of human immunology. The BRI is itself affiliated with the University of Washington, which represents a large, prestigious and vibrant reseach [sic] community. The BRI is also affiliated with, and recruits study subjects from, the Virginia Mason Medical Center, which is one of the busiest tertiary referral centers for IBD in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Lord's long-term career plans involve building upon his dual backgrounds in clinical gastroenterology and basic immunology to forge a link between the large clinical gastroenterology community and the strong basic immunology research community currently present in Seattle. His career development plan outlines a curriculum of research, didactic coursework, and local and national conference attendance, designed to foster his maturation into a successful translational researcher. Relevance to Public Health: Despite significant advances in our understanding of the immune system, IBD remains incurable, poorly understood, and both challenging and expensive to treat. If the proposed experiments reveal a fundamental mechanism by which IBD occurs, they may not only reveal new potential treatment strategies for tomorrow, but also allow physicians to better target the treatments they have today.