E-Mail
IMAGE: UIC medical and Ph.D. student Alex Agelid, left, and Dr. Deepak Shukla, UIC Marion Schenk Professor of Ophthalmology and UIC professor of microbiology and immunology at the College of Medicine.. view more
Credit: Photo provided by researchers
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that heparanase, HPSE, a poorly understood protein, is a key regulator of cells innate defense mechanisms.
Innate defense responses are programmed cellular mechanisms that are triggered by various danger signals, which have been conserved in many species throughout evolution. These systems can be set into action by pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and parasites, as well as by environmental toxins and dysfunctional cells that can accumulate in the body over time. A more thorough understanding of the commonalities and connections between these processes has the potential to generate multi-target therapy against a variety of human diseases.