02515-A: Investigating the Role of Interleukin-17-producing Cells in the Pathophysiology of Canine Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia
Grant Status: Closed
Abstract
Canine primary immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) is an acute and severe disease of dogs, with a mortality rate ranging up to 70%. IMHA is caused when the immune system produces abnormal antibodies that attack and destroy the dog?s own red blood cells. It is not known how or why these abnormal antibodies form in the body. Increased levels of certain inflammatory cytokines (small proteins that affect cells) could cause the production of abnormal antibodies leading to IMHA, and many cells in the body, most notably the white blood cells, produce these cytokines. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a disease of humans that shares similarities to canine IMHA. As the causes of human AIHA are better understood, novel treatments are being discovered. Increases of a particular cytokine, interleukin (IL)-17, were recently found in people with AIHA. Additionally, targeted therapy to reduce IL-17 levels improved disease condition in AIHA models. The investigators recently identified increased IL-17 in blood of dogs with IMHA and will study its role in the cause of this disease. This study will specifically identify and measure the types of white blood cell(s) in the body that produce IL-17. This research could lead to further understanding of the cause(s) of IMHA in dogs and help uncover new treatment targets for this disease.
Publication(s)
None at this time.
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