Immunological research

Scope

The research within the immunology-oriented lab is aimed at unraveling the role of innate immunity and inflammation in situations of compromised gut and liver function in a translational research setting. Basic, translational, and clinical studies are performed on several topics including ischemia-reperfusion, sepsis, obesity, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and parenteral nutrition. In addition, several assays to evaluate intestinal function and integrity are developed and validated.

Facility

Tissue sampling during surgery enables the study of human intestinal pathology. Available techniques are RT-PCR, cloning, ELISA, Western blotting, in vitro cell culture, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the knowledge and equipment is available to generate high-quality polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies (hybridoma technology) and to develop ELISA’s to detect markers of inflammation and organ injury in biological samples.