MSC-mediated T-cell switch in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases and occurs particularly in women. The disease-associated permanent activation of the immune system leads to symptoms, such as swelling, pain and stiffness and can lead to tissue damage in the joints. Treatments focus on alleviating the symptoms but not on fighting the cause. Due to their regenerative and immunoregulatory effect, mesenchymal stem cells, the stem cells of the connective tissue, are considered as promising therapeutic approach. However, there are barely any studies on the side effects of stem cell administration on the course of rheumatoid arthritis. Based on our previous findings, we suspect that mesenchymal stem cells, impaired by the chronic, inflammatory milieu, promote the formation of inflammatory T cells and thus actively contribute to disease progression. Within this project, factors that promote disease progression are determined which can be applied for disease treatment. Furthermore, the effect of the inflammatory milieu on the immunoregulatory effect of stem cells is examined, in particular the interaction of stem cells with inflammatory T-cells, which accumulate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.