Project Overview

To accomplish our overall goal in autoimmune research, we currently have three main projects.

First, we are engaged in a large gene mapping project in human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a severe autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women and is characterized by the production of autoantibodies against self tissues and tissue inflammation. We have now enrolled over 250 SLE sib-pair families, and have identified the location of several chromosomal regions that harbor susceptibility loci for human SLE. Our goal is to use positional and candidate gene approaches to identify the genes responsible for the immune dysregulation in lupus. More recently, we, together with partnering laboratories at NYU/North Shore and UCSF, are collecting families enriched for multiple different autoimmune diseases. These families will be used to identify genes that predispose to autoimmunity in general. (click here to contact recruiters for information on participating in the study)

A second focus of the laboratory is the use of mouse models to better understand the mechanism by which tolerance to self is maintained in the immune system. We have a particular interest in the development and molecular biology of B cells, and we have generated and are studying a number of transgenic and knockout models. We are very interested in developing novel mouse models to study the genes that we suspect are relevant to human autoimmunity.

Finally, we are using emerging genomic tools in the characterization of autoimmunity and normal B cell development. Specifically, we are applying gene expression microarray technology, using the Affymetrix "gene-chip" platform, to study both patients with autoimmunity and our various mouse models.