Eva M Carmona
Thoracic Disease Research Unit and the 2Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Mayo Clinic Rochester MN, USA
Biography
Dr. Carmona is a physician-scientist focused on understanding the role of infection and chronic inflammation in the development of interstitial lung diseases (ILD). Her research to date has focused on understanding the immunomodulatory effects of fungal beta-glucans (BG) in innate immune cells. Particularly; she had characterized the role of BG on dendritic cells and their participation in T-cell polarization (Th1 and Th17). Currently, her group is interested in determining the mechanisms by which BG modulate B-lymphocyte activation and how BG-activated B-lymphocytes may drive the development of inflammation and fibrosis in a subset of patients with ILD. Her group has recently shown that BG activated B-lymphocytes release a pro-inflammatory cytokine profile that participates in neutrophil recruitment potentially contributing to lung epithelial damage. Herein, they have identified the NLRP3 inflammasome of circulating human B-lymphocytes as a key component in innate and adaptive immune response in response to fungal and bacterial antigens.