Department Seminar Series | Not all inflammation is the same: Observations from studying Inflammation Across Tissues

A characteristic feature of chronic inflammation is its predilection for certain anatomical sites. In this presentation I will explore the concept of “Inflammation Location” to illustrate how unravelling the biological pathways underpinning the genetic, molecular, and cellular basis of inflammation across distinct yet clinically related Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (IMIDs) can help explain why many some IMIDs are site specific and others systemic. 

Traditional models of research in IMIDs silo their management within specific specialities and between children and adults. Patients with disease in one organ system often have co-morbid involvement of another organ and are treated in similar ways with similar drugs. Here I will provide a mechanistic link between gene-environment interactions and clinical outcomes via tissue biology. By breaking down the clinical and operational boundaries that prevent an integrated programme of experimental medicine research in IMIDs, we aim to deliver a tissue-based, cellular understanding of inflammation to facilitate cross-disease, cross-discipline, basket-trials which utilize Bayesian statistics to de-risk early-stage trials. In the longer term our aim is to link the cellularbasis of IMIDs to therapeutic interventions that either target shared pathogenic mechanisms or are disease specific. 

This seminar is hosted in the Seminar Room. To join online, please use the Zoom details below: