Project Details
Projekt
The intestinal and biliary microbiome in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)
Subject Area
Gastroenterology
Term
from 2016 to 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 278045702
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic and progressive liver disease which is characterized by bile duct inflammation and fibrosis leading to liver cirrhosis or cholangiocarcinoma. The strong association of PSC with colitis underlines the importance of the mucosal immune system for disease pathogenesis. The microbiome is critical for maintaining immune homeostasis at mucosal surfaces. We hypothesize that the intestinal and biliary microbiome contribute to disease pathogenesis and outcome. This hypothesis is based on previous own data showing that patients with PSC harbour a characteristic intestinal microbiota composition and that certain bacteria elicit pro-inflammatory immune responses in PSC. In ongoing work we could demonstrate that faecal microbiota patterns associated with PSC are consistent across different geographical regions and that the upper gastrointestinal tract, including the bile ducts, harbours a characteristic microbiota composition in PSC. We could identify PSC-associated changes in lymphocyte subsets in liver and blood. In the second funding period of our project we aim to elucidate the relevance of intestinal and biliary microbiota associated with PSC with regard to immune dysfunction, metabolic changes observed and disease course in PSC.
DFG Programme
Clinical Research Units
Subproject of
KFO 306:
Primär Sklerosierende Cholangitis
