Mechanisms of drug hypersensitivity and immune-mediated liver injury
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Raymond Pieters, PhD
Project
Adverse drug reactions related to hepatotoxicity, blood dyscrasias and drug hypersensitivity are responsible for the top 3 of drug withdrawals due to toxicity. This research project aims to assess how pharmaceutical drugs that induce these adverse effects interfere with immunological processes at the interface between innate with adaptive immune responses. Focus is on the interplay between neutrophils, dendritic cells, NK cells, and immunoregulatory T cells in the liver and spleen. Mechanisms are studied in mouse models that enable to study the effect of innate immune activation in relation to systemic sensitization. Ultimate goal of this project is to translate the immunological mechanisms underlying drug hypersensitivity and immune-mediated hepatotoxicity into predictive in vitro and in vivo models.
This research is currently sponsored by an EU/EFPIA funded Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) project called MIP-DILI (Mechanism-Based Integrated Systems for the Prediction of Drug-Induced Liver Injury).
Duration
6 or 9 months
Contact
Dr. Raymond Pieters, r.h.h.pieters@uu.nl, tel. 030 - 2533565
More info
IRAS website
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