James Ahodantin, PhD

Pilot Research Award
$50,000 over one year

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Tolerogenic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Autoimmune Hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the liver, causing inflammation and damage. A type of immune cell called the CD4+ T cell plays a major role in this process. Other immune cells, called plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), help to control immune responses. However, it's not well understood how pDCs contribute to AIH and why CD4+ T cells become harmful in this disease.

In this research, we will investigate the role of pDCs and a protein on pDCs called Siglec-H in AIH. We believe that Siglec-H may control how pDCs influence CD4+ T cells, and that this contributes to liver damage in AIH.

We will use a mouse model of AIH to study this process. We will modify the mice to develop AIH and then examine how pDCs and Siglec-H affect the disease. We will also look at how these cells control the activity of CD4+ T cells in the liver.

This research will help us to better understand how the immune system goes wrong in AIH. Ultimately, this could lead to the development of new and more effective treatments for this disease by targeting specific immune cells and pathways.