Untersuchungen zur differentiellen Bedeutung des adaptiven Immunsystems für die FAA-induzierte Hepatitis und Hepatokarzinogenese

肿瘤通常发生在炎症部位，慢性炎症越来越被认为是许多恶性肿瘤发病机制中的重要因素。恶性肿瘤的每个阶段似乎都对免疫细胞的调节非常敏感。适应性免疫系统对肿瘤的反应的激活可能导致恶性细胞的根除。另一方面，浸润肿瘤和癌前病变的免疫细胞产生多种细胞因子和趋化因子，其传播局部炎症反应并且还可以增强癌前细胞的生长和存活。肝细胞癌是世界范围内最致命和最普遍的癌症之一，代表了炎症相关癌症的经典病例。越来越多的证据表明，免疫系统有助于肝癌的发生。了解免疫系统促癌特性的分子机制对于通过增强抗肿瘤反应或中和免疫细胞的促癌特性来减缓肝癌发生的任何努力都至关重要。我们研究的目的是确定免疫系统在慢性损伤期间肝脏肿瘤发展中的作用。我们的长期目标是通过药理学激活或失活关键致癌途径来预防或至少延缓肝脏肿瘤的发展，从而找到新的治疗策略。

Tumors often arise at sites of inflammation and chronic inflammation is increasingly recognized to be important in the pathogenesis of many malignancies. Each stage of malignancies appears to be exquisitely susceptible to regulation of immune cells. Activation of the adaptive immune system in response to tumors might result in eradication of malignant cells. On the other hand, immune cells, which infiltrate tumors and pre-neoplastic lesions, produce a variety of cytokines and chemokines that propagate a localized inflammatory response and that can also enhance the growth and survival of premalignant cells. Hepatocellular carcinoma, which is one of the most lethal and prevalent cancers worldwide, represents a classic case of inflammation-linked cancer. There is increasing evidence indicating that the immune system contributes to heptocarcinogenesis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the tumor promoting properties of the immune system is critical to any effort to slow down hepatocarcinogenesis by either bolstering anti-tumor responses or by neutralizing cancer-promoting properties of immune cells. The aim of our study is to define the role of the immune system for tumor development in the liver during chronic injury. Our longterm aim is to find novel treatment strategies through pharmacologic activation or inactivation of key oncogenic pathways to prevent or at least delay liver tumor development.