ACID: Alleviation of chronic inflammatory diseases - targeting of phosphoinositide 3-kinases

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 00.0564-1

Key words (English)

Inflammation; allergy; wasting; phosphoinositide 3-kinase; leukocytes; chemokine; drug discovery;
Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Scientific Research

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLG1-CT-2001-02171

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.8 Generic R&D activities

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Klinikun Jena (D)

Abstract (English)

Chronic inflammatory diseases cause substantial individual suffering and cost to society. Most diseases lack cures, and available long-term medication relieves symptoms only at the expense of severe side effects. Insight into signals in leukocyte traffic pave the way for novel strategies to treat of chronic inflammation.

Chemokine receptors relay their signal through phosphoinositide3-kinase (PI3K). We have recently demonstrated that the G protein-coupled PI3Kgacts as an essential regulator of leukocyte migration and adhesion, both key features of cell activation during the inflammatory process.

This project is to validate PI3Kg and PI3Kd - both highly expressed in cells of haematopoietic origin- as drug targets. PI3K null mice shall be tested in chronic inflammation models. Studies of PI3K signalling in white blood cells shall elucidate the role of PI3Ksin chronic inflammation. Finally, selective PI3K inhibitors shall be produced.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0564-1