Immunology

The utility of blood cells as a surrogate model for studying psychiatric disorders

Hypothesis

Systemic disorder: Alterations found in the brain will be reflected in other body tissues/cells

Why blood cells

• Easy to obtain from the living patient
• Assessment of dynamic disease-related mechanisms
• Allow for timecourse studies
• Functional studies/model

Experimental approaches

Functional studies: model to investigate cellular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.

1. Cell stimulation & proliferation
2. T cell receptor signaling
3. Cytokine expression
4. Cell imaging using flow cytometry (e.g. Calcium flux, cell surface staining for functional subpopulations)

Biomarker discovery: model for the discovery and identification of biomarkers

1. Cell proteome profiling using LC-MSE
2. Western Blot
3. ELISA

Collaborations

• EDI GmbH, Germany
• Luton/Bedford Hospital, UK