cDNA microarrays have been applied to a wide variety of studies from investigating signal transduction pathways of a certain type of cells to profiling complex clinical disorders based on differential gene expression pattern. Studies using cDNA microarray have provided investigators with important new observation. To gain insight to molecular mechanisms of uveitis, an autoimmune disease, this approach is presently being applied to look at experimental autoimmune uveitis in mice. We propose evaluating circulating lymphocytes and intraocular cells(when available) using the same technique. A specific immune array with 12,000 genes , as well as several other unique array membranes have been developed permitting us to use a standardized technique to analyze gene expression pattern in patients with defined intra-ocular inflammatory diseases. The use of these arrays in humans will provides the investigator the chance to profile complex diseases based on differential gene expression patterns. The highly selective immune array as well as other unique arrays, provides us options to examine 5000 to 12,000 genes simultaneously. We wish to identify unique gene expression profiles as well as disease relevant genes for patients with ocular inflammatory disease at defined clinical stages by cDNA microarray analysis, therefore provide further insight to understanding pathological mechanisms and potential targets for treatment? This study is just beginning and no reportable data is available.
| Li, Zhuqing; Mahesh, Sankaranarayana P; Kim, Ben J et al. (2003) Expression of glucocorticoid induced TNF receptor family related protein (GITR) on peripheral T cells from normal human donors and patients with non-infectious uveitis. J Autoimmun 21:83-92 |
