Dr. Henrickson investigates the mechanisms of T cell dysfunction in monogenic primary immunodeficiency and chronic inflammatory disease, including asthma and obesity, and primary immunodeficiency.
Welcome to another weekly roundup of research news from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia! This week's highlights are an alliterative array to close out the month of August, with a study linking asthma with other allergies and news on progress against arthritis in kids. Plus, an immunology discovery could lead to treatments for inflammatory disorders.
When you have a chronic allergic disorder, it’s easy to blame the trigger — an early pollen season or furry pet — but the real culprit is your own immune system. Designed to attack foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses, T cells are the immune system’s watchdog to recognize serious threats. But sometimes T cells can be too zealous and set in motion a signaling cascade that can cause allergic reactions to everyday things and even attack your body’s healthy cells by mistake.
Scientists in the Hill Lab seek to understand how the immune system contributes to the two most common chronic diseases of childhood: allergy and obesity. The lab uses clinical and epidemiological information to guide basic and translational research aimed at understanding the genetic, epigenetic, and immunologic basis of these diseases.
