Understanding Autoimmunity Using Human Model Disorders
The Nicholson Lecture
Event Details
- Type
- Friday Lecture Series
- Speaker(s)
-
Olle Kämpe, M.D., Ph.D., professor of endocrinology, Karolinska Institutet
- Speaker bio(s)
-
Rare autoimmune disorders, either monogenic or acquired, can act as useful models to understand why autoimmunity develops and bring new tools to clinicians to diagnose and treat autoimmune diseases. In the lab of Olle Kämpe more than 15 autoantigens has been identified over the years, e.g. 21-hydroxylase in Addison’s disease, side-chain cleavage enzyme in premature ovarian and tryptophan hydroxylase in a severe form of malabsorption. All these markers are now used extensively in clinical practice.
In his talk he will discuss using protein array technology to identify novel autoantigens and as an example transglutaminase 4, a novel male-specific autoantigen. To understand why women are much more prone to autoimmunity than men, a pilot study of healthy women undergoing gender affirming testosterone therapy and the consequences on the immune system will be discussed (Nature 2024). Finally, the successful treatment of autoimmune premature ovarian failure and infertility with rituximab will be demonstrated.
For more than three decades Dr. Olle Kämpe has used rare autoimmune disorders, either monogenic or acquired, as models to understand why autoimmunity develops and to bring new tools to clinicians to diagnose and treat these disorders. He received his Ph.D. in Cell Research from Uppsala University in 1982 and his M.D. from Uppsala University in 1986. Since 2014, Dr. Kämpe has been Professor of Endocrinology at Karolinska Institutet and a Senior Consultant of Endocrinology at Karolinska University Hospital. Dr. Kämpe was appointed Chair of the Nobel Committee for the Prize in Physiology or Medicine earlier this year after having served on the committee since 2017. He also serves as a Trustee of the Nobel Foundation, a Member of the Henry Kunkel Society at Rockefeller University, and a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
- Open to
- Tri-Institutional