Dr. Peter van den Elzen

2007 Career Investigator Award, Scholar

Apolipoproteins and autoimmunity to lipid antigens|,|

The body’s immune system is designed to rid the body of infections and damaged cells, such as tumor cells or virally infected cells. There are times, however, when the process goes awry and the immune system mistakenly targets healthy cells and tissue. When this occurs, it can lead to autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

White blood cells called T cells are the central players in this process and are known to target protein components of cells. Besides action against protein components, it’s now understood that T cells also target lipids, or fats. This is new knowledge for the immune recognition research community, and it has opened doors for new areas of study. Research has demonstrated that a major blood protein, apolipoprotein E (apoE), plays a role in the immune system in recognizing lipids. ApoE also plays a role in many diseases, including MS and atherosclerosis — a condition which causes blood vessels to narrow constricting blood flow leading to heart disease and stroke).

Dr. Peter van den Elzen’s work to date integrating lipid metabolism by apoE and the immune system are directly relevant to MS and atherosclerosis research. He will investigate how lipids are targeted in these diseases, and how apoE is involved to promote this mistaken targeting. This research holds promise for better understanding the mechanisms underlying autoimmune disease, which in turn could lead to improved methods of diagnosis and treatment for these and other autoimmune diseases.

Back to 2007 Career Investigator Awards