- Source: Immunophysics
Immunophysics is a novel interdisciplinary research field using immunological, biological, physical and chemical approaches to elucidate and modify immune-mediated mechanisms and to expand our knowledge on the pathomechanisms of chronic immune-mediated diseases such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and chronic infections.
Background
Immune reactions are tightly regulated and usually self-limited. Dysregulation can result in chronic inflammatory diseases (immunochronicity). In addition to biochemical molecular mechanisms, physical factors influence the immune system. Such components include:
Microenvironmental factors like tonicity, pH, oxygen pressure and the redox status of immune cells
Mechanical factors, such as tissue pressure, cellular stiffness and cell motility
Cell membrane physics such as membrane composition and particles
The research field of immunophysics aims to investigate the influence of these physicochemical parameters on the function of the immune system in health and disease.
Methods
Immunophysical techniques include nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dual-energy computed tomography, fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy, multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT), high-throughput microfluidic cytometry, interferometric scattering microscopy (iSCAT) and cryogenic optical localization in 3D (COLD).
Applications
Immunophysical research is considered to open new perspectives for the investigation of the pathomechanisms of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, help to develop novel detection methods and diagnostic tools in these diseases and advance the treatment possibilities of such diseases.
See also
Inflammation
References
External links
Department of Medicine 3, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Department of Medicine 1, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Department of Infection Biology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg Archived 2020-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light Archived 2017-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
BioMolecular Modeling & Design Laboratory Archived 2018-05-19 at the Wayback Machine
