Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Group
WHO WE ARE
Cinician-scientists and laboratory scientists studying the onset and perpetuation of, and protection against, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
WHAT WE DO
Our major interest is in the mechanisms by which the body’s immune system develops in the gut, and how that immune system is perturbed in IBD. IBDs are major blights on a young population of Australians, and cost the Australian economy of the order of $2.7billion per year. New therapeutic approaches are required. We use cell biological, microbiological, molecular and genetic approaches to examining factors responsible for the gut immune system’s control, and loss of control, of the intestinal environment, in mouse models of disease as well as in human illness. In particular we are exploring the unusual role of the appendix and appendicitis in shifting the gut immune system to one of tolerance and protection against IBD, as well as trying to understand the arms of the ancient, innate immune system, in addition to the “modern” adaptive immune system, in tissue destructive aspects of IBD. We also have interests in the role of intestinal microbes in the onset and development of early IBD, in collaboration with Prof Hazel Mitchell and Dr Li Zhang, of the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science.
FUNDING & MEDIA HIGHLIGHT
The group is supported by NHMRC Project grants, funding from important bequests, and support from non-governmental funding agencies.
MAJOR RESEARCHERS
| Prof Michael | Grimm | Senior investigator | m.grimm@unsw.edu.au |
| Dr Rajkumar | Cheluvappa | Investigator | r.cheluvappa@unsw.edu.au |
Further information
Other group members:
Dr Greta Lee (PhD student)
Ms Annie Luo (PhD student)
Ms Hye Jee Jung (Research assistant)
Selected publications (2006-2010):
Chin BW, Grimm MC, Connor SJ, Leong RW. Managing inflammatory bowel disease. Medicine Today 2006;7:14-24
Ng WSW, Hampartzoumian T, Lloyd AR, Grimm MC. A murine model of appendicitis and the impact of inflammation on appendiceal lymphocyte constituents. Clin Exp Immunol 2007;150:169-178
Grimm MC, Ng WSW. Road most traveled – gut specific migration signals and leucocyte entry to the intestine. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2008;23:1775-1776
Cheluvappa R, Denning G, Lau G, Grimm MC, Hilmer S, Le Couteur D. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the hyperlipidemia of sepsis. Pathology 2009;41(7),615–621
Grimm MC. New and emerging therapies in inflammatory bowel disease. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009; 24(s3):S69-S74
Zhang L, Budiman V, Day AS, Mitchell H, Lemberg DA, Riordan SM, Grimm MC, Leach ST, Wedyan Y. Isolation and detection of Campylobacter concisus from saliva of healthy individuals and patients with inflammatory bowel disease. J Clin Microbiol 2010;48(8):2965-2967
Cheluvappa R, Denning GM, Lau GW, Grimm MC, Hilmer SN, Le Couteur DG. Pathogenesis of the hyperlipidemia of Gram-negative bacterial sepsis may involve pathomorphological changes in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. Int J Infect Dis 2010;14(10):e857-867
Ng WSW, Luo AS, Hampartzoumian T, Lloyd AR, Grimm MC. Appendicitis protects against colitis by induction of IL-10–secreting regulatory CD8+ T cells that migrate to the colon. (in revision)
Ismail Y, Mahendran V, Lan R, Day AS, Mitchell H, Lemberg D, Riordan S, Grimm MC, Zhang L. Oral Campylobacter concisus may trigger Crohn’s disease: evidence from genetic analysis of intestinal and oral C. concisus strains from a patient with Crohn’s disease (under review)
Cheluvappa R, Luo AS, Palmer C, Kaplan W, Cowley MJ, Grimm MC. Protective pathways against colitis mediated by appendicitis and appendectomy (under review)
Zhang L, Riordan SM, Grimm MC, Mitchell H, Kaakoush NO, Major J. Detection of high prevalence of Campylobacter concisus in large intestine of adult patients with Crohn’s disease (under review)