iFIT Seminar Series with Prof. Dr. Christian Trautwein
Functional Mechanism within the Gut-Liver-Axis
We are glad to announce our upcoming iFIT Seminar Series event with Prof. Dr. Christian Trautwein, Medical director of the Clinic for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Diseases and Internal Intensive Care Medicine of the University Hospital RWTH Aachen on a very intersting topic regarding the Functional Mechanism within the Gut-Liver-Axis:
Hepatic inflammation is a common trigger of liver disease, and is considered the main driver of hepatic tissue damage leading to fibrogenesis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. The inflammatory phenotype during CLD can be attributed to the innate immune system, which is the first line of defence against invading pathogens and is crucial for the overall survival of the host. Recognition of immunogenic signals by the innate immune system is orchestrated via pathogen recognition receptors (PRR), such as Toll-like receptors (TLR) and NOD-like receptors (NLR). PRRs recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS) and endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPS) that are increased in the circulation due to increased bacterial translocation and tissue damage, respectively. The activation of these PRRs induces the transcription of genes involved in the innate immune responses, such as pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-1b, IL-6), Type-1 interferons, anti-microbial proteins and many others. Therefore, PRR signalling can play a crucial role during hepatic injury. The focus of our group is to unravel the hepatic inflammatory response, mechanisms by which immune cells are activated and recruited into the liver, how these cells cause injury and stress, and the interactions with the gut microbiome.
The iFIT Cluster of Excellence is looking forward to your participation!
