The gut is home to a plethora of pathobionts. When housed within the gut, they typically don’t cause problems. But when they escape the intestines in what is known as “leaky gut syndrome,” they can trigger chronic inflammation that leads to the development of autoimmune diseases.
Microbiome
Major milestones in microbiome research that shaped understanding of autoimmune disease mechanisms.
The Role of Exposomes in the Pathophysiology of Autoimmunity
What if autoimmune disease wasn’t caused by one thing—but by many exposures building over time? The exposome is the total environmental and lifestyle exposures that interact with our genetics to drive immune dysfunction. Learn how chemicals, pathogens, and ultra-processed food may contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases.
Lung Microbiome Regulates Microglial Cell Inflammation in the Brain
Chemokines are proteins made by cells of the immune system that normally function to alert and guide immune cells to an infection site. The paper titled Chemokines form nanoparticles with DNA and can superinduce TLR-driven immune inflammation, published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, uncovers a new role of chemokines potentially linked to autoimmune disease.
New Research Reveals Microbiome’s Role in Brain Disorders
According to new research, the origins of some brain disorders may not be in the head but rather in the gut. Scientists studying the vast populations of microbes living in and on our bodies (known as the microbiome) have found they play a major role in brain function and behavior.
Sex Differences in Immune Responses
A review article published in Nature Reviews Immunology titled Sex differences in immune responses highlights several key areas of how sex differences impact the immune response. This includes: Such differences influence the innate and adaptive immune responses and result in the varying rates of autoimmune diseases in males and females where 80% of autoimmune diseases […]
Microbiome: Therapeutic Implications, Killarney Conference
An interdisciplinary group of scientists and physicians presented largely unpublished microbiome research at the 2019 Keystone Symposium in an effort to share, inspire, and provoke new ways of thinking. Certain autoimmune diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and type 1 diabetes, exhibit microbiomes that differ from those of healthy individuals.
Digestive Disease Week (DDW) San Diego Conference
The May 2019 DDW Conference in San Diego, California, supported the largest international gathering of top physicians, researchers, and industry leaders in the fields of gastroenterology, endoscopy, hepatology, and gastrointestinal surgery. They discussed advancements in autoimmune and other diseases related to the gastrointestinal system, as well as what the future holds for diagnosing and treating these types of conditions.
Microbes within the Host 2019 Conference
At the January 2019 Salk IPSEN Conference in San Diego, California, a diverse group of scientists and medical professionals shared their exciting projects and latest research, exploring our intricate relationship with the microbes that live in and around us. Our understanding of the human body and the way it interacts with the environment has undergone a massive transformation in recent years.