Oncostatin M as a modulator of pathogenic memory T cells in IBD (A05)

• Subject Area: Gastroenterology ; Immunology ; Rheumatology
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 375876048

Cytokines produced by infiltrating effector cells activate resident immune, stromal, endothelial, and epithelial cells, perpetuating tissue damage. Oncostatin M (OSM), a member of the IL-6 cytokine superfamily, is a recently identified cytokine that participates in mouse and human intestinal inflammation. Despite its overexpression in the inflamed gut, little is known about the exact impact of OSM on intestinal tissue and the cellular and molecular pathways promoted by OSM in IBD pathogenesis. We will assess the impact of OSM on immune cell function, especially of CD4+ T cells, and dissect how OSM influences immune-epithelial cell interactions to pave the way for targeting this axis therapeutically.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 241: Immune-Epithelial Communication in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Project Head: Professor Ahmed Nabil Hegazy, Ph.D.