Role of Adipose Stem Cells in the Pathogenesis of Crohn s Disease
Abstract
Crohn s disease (CD) is an inflammatory disease of the small and large bowel that causes severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. In spite of several advances in therapy of this disease, several patients continue to suffer from refractory disease, leading to frequent admissions to hospitals, surgeries, and poor quality of life. Recent studies have shown that stem cells derived from fat cells can stop the inflammation seen in a disease like CD and help control the symptoms. However, there are still many unanswered questions on the role stem cells play in CD and whether they truly stop inflammation or actually make it worse. The goal of this study is to further understand the role of these stem cells in intestinal inflammation by studying mouse and humans. We will use a special mouse called SAMP mouse that gets inflammation of small bowel on its own by 10 weeks of age without the need to give it any chemicals or interfering with its genes. So this mouse more closely mimics what happens in human patients with CD. In the first part of the study, we will extract stem cells from the fat around intestine of this mouse before and after its gets inflammation of its bowel. We will then compare these stem cells with each other for difference in immunologic and genetic properties. This will help us understand whether these stem cells decrease or increase inflammation in this mouse. In the second part, we will inject the stem cells extracted from fat cells (around the mouse intestine) in other mice to see if they can stop the bowel inflammation or not. In the third part, the stem cells extracted from fat around intestine of humans with CD will be compared with similar stem cells isolated from patients with disease called diverticulitis. The study will help us understand the role of stem cells obtained from fat tissue in causing and/or worsening bowel inflammation in CD. Identification of chemical substances and genes of these stem cells responsible for triggering or worsening the inflammatory process can open up targets for design of new medications to treat patients with CD.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 04, 2016
- Source ID
- W81XWH1510514
Entities
People
- Maneesh Dave
Organizations
- Case Western Reserve University
- United States Army