Research Project Outline
The healthy intestinal tract is maintained by the highly sophisticated homeostatic mechanism operating between symbiotic bacteria and mucosal immune cells, and collapse of this mutually beneficial mucosal bidirectional interaction system leads to the development of refractory chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In this project, through investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of intestinal homeostatic and pathological inflammations by meaning of the contribution made by the symbiotic cohabiting microflora, the carbohydrate-chains on epithelial cells, and the innate immune cells at the intestinal mucosa, we aim to develop new treatments, preventions and diagnostic methods for intestinal inflammatory diseases.