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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by a chronic inflammation of peripheral joints (arthritis). This inflammation causes swelling of the joints, pain and inflammatory-triggered degenerative changes in the joint structure. If persistent, the inflammation can result in systemic comorbidities, affecting, for example, the cardiovascular system or the bone. In recent years, research has focused on the later inflammatory stages of rheumatoid arthritis and studied mainly the signaling pathways contributing to the end-stage inflammation during this disease.

onset of rheumatoid arthritis

Our DFG research group FOR2886 aims to unravel the causes of RA and seeks to understand early events contributing to the onset of inflammation. The main focus here is to understand the influence of the natural bacterial flora or the microbiome as well as a number of environmental factors (including nutrition and salt consumption) on our immune system and in particular their impact on immune tolerance. In addition, we aim to address why a a subset of patients displaying a prototypic and RA-specific autoimmune response remain asymptomatic for years, while others suffer from an early and aggressive onset of disease. A better understanding of the causative molecular and cellular relationships would not only enable new, more effective and individualized therapeutic strategies, but above all, for the first time, open up options for curing this disease. Accordingly, we will conduct a first study applying a sequential combination of several therapeutic protein molecules (biologics) aiming to reprogram the (auto-)immune response in RA patients.

 

Dirk Mielenz invites Prof. Rudolf Wiesner and Prof. Dr. Bent Brachvogel from the University of Cologne to a hybrid Nikolaus-Fiebiger Zentrum (NFZ) seminar on 19.07.2023 at 11.oo s.t. Titles of their lectures: "Inducing mtDNA deletions in mouse tissues to study if and how they contribute to ageing-re...

Category: Aktuelles, Allgemein

Mario Zaiss has invited Prof. Dr. Claudia Mauri from University College London, Centre for Rheumatology and Bloomsbury Rheumatology Unit, UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences, London, UK for the MICE Seminar on 11.07.2023 at 12.30 pm. Title of her talk: "Are we treating the wrong organs in autoim...

Category: Aktuelles, Allgemein

Pushing the reset button At the university hospital Erlangen, patients with severe forms of autoimmune diseases are being treated with cells from the body that have been genetically modified, which are known as CAR T cells. This study is the first of its kind in the world. Physicians were astounded...

Category: Aktuelles, Allgemein

Researchers from Erlangen prove the benefit of booster vaccination in people with rheumatism and inflammatory bowel and skin diseases Many patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism, ulcerative colitis or psoriasis have to take medication that influences the immune system. The immune syst...

Category: Aktuelles, Allgemein