The goal of our research is to understand immune interactions that underlie the pathogenesis and regulation of immune-based disease. A major focus of the laboratory is the immune-mediated, demyelinating disease, multiple sclerosis (MS). Through studies in human MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), we are dissecting the role of autoreactive and regulatory CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells in the intrinsic as well as therapeutic modulatiion of disease. An additional intent of these studies is also to unveil the regulatory components of the healthy immune system. Another major field of interest is the elucidation of immune dysregulation during hepatitis C viral infection and its therapy. We are also closely involved in several collaborative projects, including in vitro allodepletion in hematopoeitic stem cell transplantation to alleviate graft-versus-host disease and clinical projects involving immunophenotypic characterization and multi-modality diagnostics of hematolymphoid disorders and the development and evaluation of newer diagnostic test technologies in cellular immunology and clinical flow cytometry.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Immunology of mutliple sclerosis (MS)/ autoimmune demyelination
Immune responses to HCV infections
Allodepletion to prevent graft-versus-host-disease
Immune regulation by T cells
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
V. Pillai, S.B. Ortega, C.K. Wang and N.J. Karandikar, "Transient Regulatory T-cells: A State Attained by All Activated Human T-cells" Clinical Immunology, 123:18-29, March 2007
D.K. Tennakoon, R.S. Mehta, S.B. Ortega, V. Bhoj, M.K. Racke and N.J. Karandikar, "Therapeutic induction of regulatory, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells in multiple sclerosis" Journal of Immunology, 176:7119-29, 2006
Crawford, M.P., S.X. Yan, S. Ortega, R.S. Mehta, R.E. Hewitt, D.A. Price, P. Stastny, D.C. Douek, R.A. Koup, M.K. Racke, and N.J. Karandikar., "High prevalence of autoreactive neuroantigen-specific CD8+ T Cells in multiple sclerosis revealed by novel flow cytometric assay." Blood, In Press June 2004
Karandikar, N.J., M.P. Crawford, X. Yan, R.B. Ratts, J.M. Brenchley, D.R. Ambrozak, A.E. Lovett-Racke, E.M. Frohman, P. Stastny, D.C. Douek, R.A. Koup, and M.K. Racke., "Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone.) induces CD8+ T-cell responses in patients with multiple sclerosis." Journal of Clinical Investigation, 109:641-649, 2002
Brenchley, J.M., N.J. Karandikar, M.R. Betts, D.R. Ambrozak, B.J. Hill, L.E. Crotty, J.P. Casazza, J. Kuruppu, S.A. Migueles, M. Connors, M. Roederer, D.C. Douek, and R.A. Koup., "Expression of CD57 defines replicative senescence and antigen-induced apoptotic death of CD8+ T-cells." Blood, In Press:Published Online in Nov 2002, April 2003
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS
Karandikar, N.J., C.L. Vanderlugt, T.L. Walunas, S.D. Miller, and J.A. Bluestone., "CTLA-4: A negative regulator of autoimmune disease." Journal of Experimental Medicine., 184:783-788, 1996
Miller, S.D., C.L. Vanderlugt, D.J. Lenschow, J.G. Pope, N.J. Karandikar, M.C. Dal Canto, and J.A. Bluestone., "Blockade of CD28/B7-1 interaction prevents epitope spreading and clinical relapses of murine EAE." Immunity, 3:739-745, 1995
Karandikar, N.J., C.L. Vanderlugt, T. Eagar, L.J. Tan, J.A. Bluestone, and S.D. Miller., "Tissue-specific up-regulation of B7-1 expression and function during the course of murine relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis." Journal of Immunology., 161:192-199, 1998
A.C. Seegmiller, Y. Xu, R.W. McKenna and N.J. Karandikar, "Immunophenotypic differentiation between neoplastic plasma cells in mature B-cell lymphoma vs. plasma cell myeloma" American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 127:176-181, February 2007
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