Genetics of Inflammation

Does this sound like a study you might be interested in volunteering for?

To identify all the genes involved in responding to critical injury, the Inflammation and the Host Response to Injury glue grant team injected healthy volunteers with bacterial endotoxin. This molecule causes body-wide inflammation similar to sepsis, with one important difference–it is well-defined and lasts only 24 hours.

As the hours progressed, scientists tracked the activity of thousands of genes turning on and off, regulating inflammation in the volunteers’ bodies. They focused on white blood cells, which are key players in the immune system.

Approximately 5,000 genes responded to the endotoxin and more than half were down regulated which made the white blood cells less metabolically active. (Counterintuitive since white blood cells should be fighting the endotoxin actively.) Among the 5,000 genes, about 300 involved in several genetic pathways were not previously known to be involved in inflammation.

I’ve earned a few restaurant dinners worth of checks from volunteering in various medical studies while I was an undergrad. In some, like the study of osteoporosis which included two free bone density scans one year apart, I gained information about my own health as well as contributing to public health.

If you ever get the chance to volunteer, I’d recommend it. It’s an interesting experience and invaluable to medical science.

Science Daily, September 6, 2005