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Project

Study of granuloma and giant cell formation in autoinflammatory diseases: focus on NOD2-associated Blau syndrome and Crohn's disease.

Granulomas are organized aggregates of predominantly macrophages which often fuse into multinucleated giant cells. In infectious diseases, granuloma formation is seen as a response of the immune system to segregate and remove persistent pathogens or large particles. Granulomas with multinucleated giant cells are also seen in chronic immune disorders without any bvious infectious trigger, including diverse autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. In these disorders, it is not known why and how granulomas arise and little information is available about their characteristics and pathophysiological properties. Blau syndrome and Crohn’s disease are two granulomatous inflammatory disorders of particular interest because they are associated with genetic mutations in NOD2, an intracellular receptor that recognizes patterns of intracellular bacterial material, senses cellular stress and is involved in pathways of inflammation. Using mononuclear blood cells from healthy donors, patients with Blau syndrome and Crohn’s disease and applying cutting-edge technologies, the project aims to investigate the process and mechanism of granuloma and giant cell formation in vitro and to expose phenotypical and functional characteristics of different types of giant cells. The obtained results will serve as a platform for studying the pathophysiology of multinucleated giant cells in a variety of diseases ranging from infections to autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases and to cancer.

 

Date:2 Aug 2018 →  31 Oct 2023
Keywords:Crohn's disease, Blau syndrome
Disciplines:Immunology
Project type:PhD project