Control of Leukocyte Function
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Inflammation, Brain
- Sponsor
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Enrollment
- 100
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Immune cells will be studied in vitro to learn about basic mechanisms of immune cell signaling.
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 8 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The protocol is to draw peripheral blood from healthy volunteers for in vitro studies. The aims of these in vitro studies are to determine the cellular and intracellular mechanisms by which hypertonic saline and ATP release regulate neutrophil and lymphocyte functions.
Detailed Description
The proper regulation of leukocyte function is critical for immune defense and to prevent autoimmune diseases. Many aspects of immune cell regulation are unknown. A better understanding could lead to novel therapeutic approaches to improve immune function in patients suffering from various diseases. The investigators have found that hypertonic conditions regulate leukocyte functions through feedback mechanisms involving ATP release and purinergic receptors. The purpose of the proposed protocol is to obtain access to peripheral blood from healthy volunteers to study these complex regulatory mechanisms in more detail.
Investigators
Wolfgang Junger
Professor of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •any healthy volunteer
Exclusion Criteria
- •pregnancy
- •needing/using drugs
- •inflammatory or infectious complications
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Immune cells will be studied in vitro to learn about basic mechanisms of immune cell signaling.
Time Frame: Blood is collected as needed; time frame: indefinitely. Blood used between 1-7 days after blood draws.
The purpose of this study is to obtain blood from healthy subjects (volunteers) for in vitro studies to explore how immune cells function. Cells will be isolated and subjected to various tests including stimuli that simulate immune cell activation in health and disease. Subjects will not be subjected to any treatments. Only some of the cells (leukocytes) in the blood will be studied. For example, activation events such as cytokine production, the ability of leukocytes (=immune cells) to detect and respond to bacterial products will be assessed. No identifiable information about study subjects will be kept.