Examination of the host immune response to infection
We aim to determine the molecules and pathways regulating inflammation following Bcc infection and identify novel anti-inflammatory therapies for CF patients with this pathogen.To date, we have examined the pro-inflammatory response generated by Bcc pathogens and demonstrated that the most clinically relevant strains induce a high level of inflammatory cytokines from lung epithelial cells. We are examining role of Toll-like receptors in this process and the specific bacterial components responsible for triggering the inflammatory mediators. This PhD project has been funded by PRDSP Strand 1, ITT Dublin PhD Continuation Fund and more recently by IRCSET.
