Inflammation

Decoding the Immune System's Role in Health and Disease

Advancing knowledge of the body’s immune response to disease threats

Inflammation occurs when the body’s immune system responds to a perceived threat. While beneficial in most cases, too much inflammation underlies a host of health conditions, from cardiovascular disease to arthritis to asthma.

Michigan Medicine researchers are engaged in understanding the immune system and its response at the molecular, cellular, and systemic levels, as well as actively pursuing new therapies that can regulate inflammation that causes disease.

Recent Podcast Episodes in Inflammation

Health Lab Podcast

Simplifying the low-FODMAP diet to help manage IBS

Researchers try to simplify the low-FODMAP diet in hopes of making it easier for patients to follow without sacrificing effectiveness.

The Fundamentals

From Patients to Progress: Advancing Autoimmune Research

Today on The Fundamentals, our guest is Dr. Michelle Kahlenberg, an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Dermatology, the Giles Bole and Dorothy Mulkey Research Professor of Rheumatology and the Vice Chair for Basic and Translational Research in Internal Medicine. Her clinical work is centered on the care of patients with lupus, including those with refractory skin disease. In addition to running her lab, she's an active member of the Immunology Training Program and has received national recognition for her research.

The Fundamentals

Our Microbial Diversity is Reflected in Our Human Diversity

An interview with Dr. Ariangela Kozik on microbiome research, advancing equity and #BlackInMicro

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featured news & stories

man in pink shirt close up with hand on stomach

Health Lab

Potential culprit identified in lingering Crohn’s disease symptoms

A study from University of Michigan researchers may explain why some patients with Crohn’s disease continue to experience symptoms, even in the absence of inflammation.

Kid holding pumpkin bowl of candy in skeleton costume

Health Lab

Is chocolate safe for people with IBS?

With Halloween and the holiday season right around the corner, people with IBS may want to reconsider choosing to eat chocolate.

balancing scale of food and hand reaching purple background yellow scale

Health Lab

All FODMAPs aren’t created equal: working toward alternative diets to manage IBS

Two studies from Michigan Medicine may provide hope for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) struggling to implement the traditional low-FODMAP diet.

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Featured Researchers

Meet the Experts

Researchers at Michigan Medicine investigate the complex biological processes that drive inflammation, uncovering insights into its connection to chronic illnesses, autoimmune conditions, and infection response.

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Latest Publications

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World Health Organization Classification and Diagnosis of Mastocytosis: Update 2023 and Future Perspectives

Valent, P, Sotlar, K, Horny, H-P, Arock, M, Akin, C, Immunol Allergy Clin North Am, 2023 Nov; DOI:10.1016/j.iac.2023.04.011

PMID: 37758403

Predictors of performance and perceived fatigability in people with multiple sclerosis

Abou, L, Fritz, NE, Kratz, AL, Neurol Res, 2023 Nov; DOI:10.1080/01616412.2023.2252283

PMID: 37655601

Higher mitochondrial oxidative capacity is the primary molecular differentiator in muscle of rats with high and low intrinsic cardiorespiratory fitness

Fleischman, JY, Van den Bergh, F, Collins, NL, Bowers, M, Beard, DA, Burant, CF, Mol Metab, 2023 Oct; DOI:10.1016/j.molmet.2023.101793

PMID: 37625738

Extracellular Matrix–Derived Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMP): Implications in Systemic Sclerosis and Fibrosis

Bale, S, Verma, P, Varga, J, Bhattacharyya, S, J Invest Dermatol, 2023 Oct; DOI:10.1016/j.jid.2023.04.030

PMID: 37452808

Cooling Down Inflammation in the Cardiovascular System via the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor.

Kaplan, A, Lakkis, B, El-Samadi, L, Karaayvaz, EB, Booz, GW, Zouein, FA, J Cardiovasc Pharmacol, 2023 Oct; DOI:10.1097/FJC.0000000000001455

PMID: 37539950

Gene Expression Signatures in Inflammatory and Sclerotic Morphea Skin and Sera Distinguish Morphea from Systemic Sclerosis

Chen, HW, Zhu, JL, Martyanov, V, Tsoi, LC, Johnson, ME, Barber, G, Popovich, D, O'Brien, JC, Coias, J, Cyrus, N, Malviya, N, Florez-Pollack, S, Kunzler, E, Hosler, GA, Gudjonsson, JE, Khanna, D, Whitfield, M, Jacobe, HT, J Invest Dermatol, 2023 Oct; DOI:10.1016/j.jid.2023.02.036

PMID: 37028702

Cardioprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of FAM3D in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Rhee, J, Freeman, R, Roh, K, Lyons, M, Xiao, C, Zlotoff, D, Yeri, A, Li, H, Guerra, J, Guseh, JS, Kuznetsov, A, Houstis, N, Roh, J, Damilano, F, Liu, X, Silverman, M, Kwong, R, Das, S, Rosenzweig, A, Circ Res, 2023 Sep; DOI:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.123.322640

PMID: 37638415

Inhibition of SIRT2 promotes death of human cytomegalovirus-infected peripheral blood monocytes via apoptosis and necroptosis

Cheung, J, Remiszewski, S, Chiang, LW, Ahmad, E, Pal, M, Rahman, SA, Nikolovska-Coleska, Z, Chan, GC, Antiviral Res, 2023 Sep; DOI:10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105698

PMID: 37562606

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