Project B07: Peritoneal Immune States Link Gut and Liver Pathology in Cirrhosis
We are happy to announce that since January 2021 CRC1382 ‘Gut-Liver Axis’ is strengthened by a new project: B07.
Tony Bruns, Professor at the Clinic for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Internal Medicone Intensive Care (Medical Clinic III) and Dr. Oluwatomi Ibidapo-obe, Postoc at the same Department, will contribute to a better understanding of the Gut-Liver Axis by exploring the role of immune cells in the peritoneum in mediating gut and liver pathology in cirrhosis.
Failure of immunological control has been reported on various levels in patients with cirrhosis, and gut-derived spontaneous infections lead to very poor prognosis. Project B07 aims to extensively characterize the peritoneal immune compartment because this provides a crucial link between gut and liver pathology. This will be achieved by analyzing various immune cell subsets within the peritoneal cavity in patients hospitalized for decompensated cirrhosis and after disease modifying-events such as the development and resolution of spontaneous infections arising from gut bacterial translocation. We will also investigate strategies to modulate activation, differentiation and migration of some distinct peritoneal immune cell subsets, which will provide insights on suppressing inflammation and improving survival of patients. Overall, this will provide a better understanding of the crosstalk of immune cells within the peritoneal compartment, which serves as a functional component of the gut-liver axis.
Dr. Oluwatomi Ibidapo-obe is a molecular immunologist with specific interests in unravelling the significant roles immune cells play in diseased conditions within the human immune system. After obtaining her bachelors in Cell biology and genetics at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, she started her research career by obtaining her Masters degree in Molecular Medicine from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Thereafter, she majored in Immunobiology for her Doctoral thesis at the Friedrich-Schiller University Jena working on human peritoneal innate T cell subsets. In her free time she loves reading inspirational and self-help books, watching movies and exploring other cultures through travelling. She is married and has a loving little daughter who inspires her.