IMMUNOPATHOGENETC MECHANISMS IN IMMUNODEFICIENCY AND INFECTIOUS DISORDERS

Our group studies immunological and inflammatory mechanisms in primary immunodeficiencies and different infectious diseases. Knowledge of immunopathogenic mechanisms is of outmost importance for the development of new and vsupplenemtary treatment strategies in these disorders.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common primary hyopgammaglobulinemia affecting patients with infections as well as autoimmune and inflammatory manifestations. Although CVID is a rather rare disorder, it may could give important insight into general aspects on the interaction between microbes, the immune system and target organs. Our group has been studying inflammation and dysregulatoin of the immunological systems in this disorder for several years, particular focusing on the role of T cell and monocyte pathology in this disorder.

There are ongoing projects on CVID regarding bone marrow dendrittic cells (1), bronchial inflammation (2), DNA repair mechanisms (3), and B cell signaling in a subgroup of CVID patients with granulomatous manifestations (4).

In infectious diseases clinical manifestations are determined both by characteristics of the infectious agent and the host’s immune and inflammatory responses. Our aim is to study inflammatory and immunopathogenetic mechanisms in different infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (5), fungal infections with Aspergillus species in immunocompromized patients (6), and ricketisal infections (7).

Our research group has during several years been studying immunopathogenic mechanisms in HIV particularly focusing on the role of persistent inflammation and enhanced oxidative stress. The introduction of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) have resulted in a marked improvement in clinical prognosis and HIV-related clinical events, but HIV-infected patients still show signs of inappropriate inflammation that could contribute to the increased occurrence of cardiovascular abnormalities in these patients. To further characterize and if possibly, modulate these inflammatory pathways is an important aim of our research group.

1. Dendrittic cell abnormalities in CVID. Collaboration with PhD student Eli Taraldsrud, Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet
2. Bronchial inflammation in patients with CVID. Collaboration with PhD student Stina Gregersen. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet
3. DNA repair mechanisms in immunodefiency. Collaboration with Professor Magna Bjørås, Centre of Molecular Biology and Neuroscience, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet
4. B cell signaling in a subgroup of CVID patients with granulomatous manifestations. Collaboration with Professor Heidi Kihl Blomhoff, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
5. Inflammatory and immunopathogenetic mechanisms in HIV infections. PhD student Lin Landrø.
6. Immunopathogenic mechanisms in Aspergillus infections. PhD student Kristian Rødland.
7. The role of platelets, chemokines and toll-like receptors in rickettsial infections. PhD student. Elisabeth Astrup Strand.