炎症的复发和慢性化是致葡萄膜炎患者盲目的根本原因。现有小鼠实验性自身免疫性葡萄膜炎（EAU）模型难以模拟这一本质特征，大鼠复发性EAU免疫机制与人类葡萄膜炎也不尽相同。最近我们预实验建立了小鼠复发慢性化EAU，但仅出现1次复发。本项目以在视觉和免疫系统与人类高度相似的灵长类近亲树鼩为研究对象，探讨不同视网膜抗原（S-Ag，IRBP）及其致敏的T细胞诱导葡萄膜炎发生、复发及慢性化的条件，筛选诱导树鼩复发慢性化EAU的特异免疫类型、剂量和方式；评价上述筛选出树鼩复发性EAU在疾病发生、高峰、消退和复发时的临床表现、炎症严重程度和病理组织学，鉴定复发模型的临床表现和病理特征；通过评价模型中效应性Th1和Th17及调节性T（Treg）在疾病发生、消退和复发的功能和数量，探讨复发性EAU免疫反应特征；评价干预树鼩复发性EAU来探讨模型应用及示范。旨在为葡萄膜炎发生及防治提供新的理想策略。

Intraocular chronic-relapsing inflammation in human autoimmune uveitis is a main factor contributed to blindness in patients with uveitis, but so far the underlining mechanisms of disease recurrences have not been fully elucidated. A major limitation of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in mice is that they do not minic the chronic-relapsing course in human autoimmune recurrent uveitis. The immune responses of EAU in rats were not identical to those in human autoimmune recurrent uveitis. We have developed a chronic-relapsing EAU in B10RIII mice induced by interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein 161-180 in our recent study, but the relapsing inflammation were observed only once. We therefore set out to development a model of chronic-relapsing EAU in Chinese tree shrew, which is regarded as close relative of non-human primates and is similar to human in visual system and immune system. The project mainly includes 4 parts as follow. (1) The chronic-relapsing EAU in Chinese tree shrew will be induced by immunization with retinal soluble antigen(S-Ag), IRBP in CFA as well as by the transfer of activated, antigen-specific T cells to determine the influence of variables, such as the type and dose of antigen and methods of immunization on chronic-relapsing disease. (2) The clinical findings, incidence and severity and histopathology of relapsing EAU will be studied to identify the characteristics of chronic-relapsing disease obtained under the different conditions of immunization. (3) The freqencies and functional of Th1 and Th17 and Treg will be assessed to study the immune reponse characteristics of relapsing EAU. (4) Disturbtion of chronic-relapsing EAU will be investigated to test the model for its practicality and effectiveness in drug evaluation and development. These studies are expected to gain a deep insight into the initiating mechanisms involved in uveitis and to provide a new strategy in the prevention and treatment for this disease.