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Gezahegn Gorfu, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), represented mainly by Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis, are chronic inflammatory disorders affecting 0.3% of the western population. The etiology of these diseases remains unknown, but it involves increased host genetic susceptibility, immune system dysregulation, and altered interactions of host cells with pathogens and normal flora within the intestinal mucosa. Recent studies from our laboratory using SAMP1/YitFc mice, a novel spontaneous mouse model of experimental ileitis similar to human CD, have shown an important role for B cells in exacerbating the disease process, which is due to the ability of the expanded B cell population to block regulatory T cell function. Also using this model and an adaptive transfer model, our group has found that P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 expressed on endothelium of venules of the small intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes is critical for the development of inflammation, which is a sufficient target for blocking antibodies to attenuate both adoptively transferred and spontaneous disease. My research interest focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of lymphocyte adhesion and trafficking to the intestinal mucosa in IBD and to identify potential novel targets for treatment of IBD such as adhesion molecules as well as chemokines and their receptors that are involved in regulating the pathogenesis of IBD. |
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