The mouse Camp gene is an ortholog of the human gene CAMP, which encodes the precursor of cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37 (or CRAMP in mouse). Expressed mucosal epithelial cells, circulating neutrophils, and myeloid bone marrow cells, Camp is an essential part of the first line of defense against infection. In addition to antimicrobial activity, cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide plays a role in NK cell-mediated tumor growth suppression, and when secreted by neutrophils acts, as an attractant for monocytes, promoting wound healing or angiogenesis. Mouse CRAMP is implicated in adaptive immune response regulation and can interfere with TLR function via interactions with hyaluronan. Mice deficient in CRAMP are more susceptible to experimentally induced necrotic skin infection with Group A Streptococcus, urinary tract infection with uropathogenic E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, and meningococcal Neisseria meningitidis infection.

CAT2 is a membrane associated protein involved in the cellular uptake of cationic amino acids such as arginine, lysine and ornithine. CAT2 plays a regulatory role in the activation of macrophages. Arginine is a substrate for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) during the production of nitric oxide (NO). The release of NO by inflammatory cells contributes to the progression of diseases such as cancer, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, and atherosclerosis. CAT2 plays a role in controlling inflammation and IL-17 activation in an injury model of colitis.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a method of using bacteriocin peptides to reduce gut inflammation, improve gut barrier function, and reduce obesity in humans.

Researchers at UCI have developed a safe, inexpensive drug for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Using standard cellular biology techniques, researchers at UCI have developed a method for detecting the cellular components of blood easily, cheaply, and quickly with accurate quantification using fluorescence techniques.

The technology is a novel protease that reduces the ability of cells to respond to the inflammatory cytokine Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF). High TNF levels have been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and many types of cancers.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a biocompatible material to mimic the glycocalyx, the natural layer of molecules that coats the outside of endothelial cells. This technology can be used to treat inflammation in diseases characterized by dysfunction in leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions.

Macrophages respond to pathogens and tissue damage via pattern recognition receptors (PRR) that sense pathogen (PAMP) or damage (DAMP) associated molecular patterns. NLRP3, a member of the Nod-like receptor (NLR) family that is induced upon macrophage activation, senses cytosolic oxidized mitochondrial DNA (ox-mtDNA) that is generated when activated macrophages are exposed to NLRP3- activating DAMPs, such as ATP, uric acid, or amyloid β, triggers IL-1β and IL-18 production and release. IL-1β and IL-18 are members of the IL-1 family of cytokines representing two of eleven members. As a whole, the IL-1 group of cytokines can induce strong inflammatory signals. Moreover, IL-1β and IL-18 are unique members because they are inactive until undergoing proteasomal cleavage by caspase-1 leading to the formation of active biological forms. Recent work has shown that NLRP3 inflammasome dependent production of IL-1β and IL-18 is involved in the pathogenesis of many devastating diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid diseases and cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes. and autoimmune diseases such as lupus or Still’s diseases. Thus, there exists a need to modulate the production of both IL-1β and IL-18.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a method for preparing therapeutically effective amounts of triarylmethane compounds for immunosuppressive treatment of autoimmune disorders, graft rejection, and graft or host disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and has been associated with poor quality of life and frequent complications requiring hospitalization and surgical procedures. Current therapies for IBD typically target neutralization of inflammatory cytokines, blockade of receptors, or inhibition of inflammatory cell functions. Despite current approaches, it is still difficult to control disease severity and maintain quality of life. One important phenotype of IBD that may offer an opportunity for gaining increased understanding of the disease is that up to 40% of individuals with inflammatory diseases of the colon have extra intestinal manifestations. Foremost in these extra intestinal symptoms are skin or oral disorders such as erythema nodosum, pyoderma gangreneosum and aphthous stomatitis. The presence of diseases associated with IBD at sites far from the gut support several hypotheses that IBD is a systemic disorder of circulating bone marrow derived immunocytes, a consequence of dysbiosis of the microbiome or a generalized disorder of epithelial function. Furthermore, appropriate function of the epithelial barrier is necessary to regulate the interactions between microbes and the host and maintain health.

UCLA researchers have developed a novel microporous annealed particle (MAP) scaffold that acts as both a tissue growth scaffold and an immune modulatory system. The technology permits continuous, time-encoded, modulation of the immune system delivered injection/implantation of fabricated scaffold, comprised of the MAP gel technology.

This invention identifies a series of compounds which can selectively regulate the kinase activity of IRE1α and IRE1β, which are paralogous enzymes critical for the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and that may have implications in cell-degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cancer, fibrosis, asthma, and retinitis pigmentosa.  

UCLA researchers in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology have discovered that Coenzyme A is a targetable requirement for anti-inflammatory macrophage differentiation.

UCLA researchers in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology have developed a novel high-throughput method for the quantification of immune cell subtype.

Researchers led by Benjamin Wu from the Departments of Bioengineering and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine have developed an implantable scaffolding that can create hematopoietic stem cells from pluripotent stem cells in vivo.

A dynamic set of complex interactions between intestinal microbes, intestinal epithelial cells and intestinal immune cells are key in maintaining normal intestinal homeostasis as well as in the etiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It is becoming clear that regulatory T cell-mediated control of inflammation is critical for the maintenance of immune tolerance in gut. Since 1970s, it has been suggested that CD8+ regulatory T cells play an important role in immune regulation of autoimmune diseases, transplant tolerance, and homeostasis of cellular and humoral immune responses. Among Treg subpopulations, an important role for Foxp3+CD4+ Treg and Foxp3- IL-10-secreting CD4+ T cells has been elucidated, while the function of CD8+ regulatory T cells in the gut has been hampered by an inability to distinguish them from conventional CD8+ T cells. Normally specific cytokines and transcription factors are the driving factors for maintaining the expression of a particular T cell phenotype.

Small molecule pendrin inhibitors for treating inflammatory lung diseases.

The Kohn group at UCLA has created lentiviral vectors expressing FoxP3 or IL-10 for transduction into patient hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Successful transplantation of autologous HSCs would allow for treatment of a number of auto-immune and auto-inflammatory diseases, while avoiding complications associated with allogenic transplants or autologous T cell therapies.

Prof. Declan McCole and his colleagues at the University of California, Riverside have identified that increased levels of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) correlate to a loss of function mutation in a protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) gene. PTPN2 has been identified as an IBD candidate gene that protects the intestinal epithelial barrier.  Dysfunction of the PTPN2 gene, which encodes the T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) protein, contributes to alterations in the intestinal microbiome and the onset of chronic intestinal inflammation which is a symptom of IBD. Loss of function of PTPN2 has resulted in IBD-like symptoms in mice and caused the increased abundance of the intestinal pathobiont adherent-invasive Escherichia coli that binds to CEACAM6 and increases a patient’s susceptibility to IBD. Fig. 1 shows control and PTPN2-KD cell lysates with reduced protein expression of TCPTP (PTPN2) in PTPN2-deficient cells that express increased CEACAM6 protein when compared to control cells  

A novel method to measure airway mucus plugging using CT images from patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a dual soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH)/ phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor for the treatment of inflammatory pain.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have discovered a composition of 5-phenoxyalkoxypsoralens that inhibits potassium channels to treat autoimmune diseases and disorders that involve abnormal homeostasis, body weight and peripheral insulin sensitivity.

A novel approach for the treatment of lung inflammatory and fibrotic diseases by increased or repaired chitinase function in lung tissues

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a lifelong, systemic autoimmune disease that affects women three times more frequently than men, often in their most productive and childbearing years. Pregnancy in women with RA poses a therapeutic challenge. Some anti-rheumatic drugs can cross the placenta and harm the fetus and/or are transferred into breast milk and harm the breastfed baby. Teratogenic compounds like methotrexate and leflunamide are to be avoided and high dose steroids may be associated with a premature rupture of the membranes. The high risk of drug transfer into breast milk often leads to the recommendation for women to cease breastfeeding.  While the exact cause of RA remains to be elucidated, it is known that chronic macrophage inflammation plays a key role in the development and progression of rheumatoid arthritis. The ability to attenuate macrophage inflammation and suppress the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, like interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6 would help in the treatment of RA.  

UCLA researchers in the Department of Dentistry have developed a novel fluorescent probe for studying the role of osteoclasts in bone diseases and for detecting the early onset of bone resorption by targeting an important protein Cathepsin K. This probe can also deliver drug molecules to bone resorption sites with high specificity.