Organ-specific autoimmunity: The role of the thymus and periphery in shaping the gastric-specific T cell repertoire

免疫系统通常保护人体免受有害病毒和细菌等病原体的入侵。在自身免疫性疾病中，用来保护我们的相同机制被错误地瞄准了我们自己的组织。在自身免疫性疾病中，被称为T淋巴细胞的白细胞负责攻击我们自己的组织。我们的研究将采用一系列分子、遗传和成像技术来追踪罕见和潜在有害的白细胞。我们的研究应该揭示这些自毁性T淋巴细胞一方面在健康个体中沉默，另一方面在自身免疫性疾病个体中逃逸并造成破坏的机制。这一基本信息将有助于开发治疗策略，选择性地关闭自身免疫性疾病患者的这些破坏性T淋巴细胞，从而消除破坏性的免疫反应并治愈疾病。

The immune system normally protects against invasion by pathogens such as harmful viruses and bacteria. In autoimmune diseases the same mechanisms that are used to protect us are erroneously targeted to our own tissues. White blood cells, called T lymphocytes are responsible for attacking our own tissues in autoimmune diseases. Our studies will employ a range of molecular, genetic and imaging technologies to track the rare and potential harmful white blood cells. Our studies should reveal the mechanisms by which these self destructive T lymphocytes are silenced in healthy individuals on the one hand, and on the other hand escape to cause destruction in individuals with autoimmune diseases. This fundamental information will allow the development of therapeutic strategies to selectively turn-off these destructive T lymphoctyes in individuals with autoimmune disease and thereby remove the damaging immune response and cure the disease.