Site-specific autoimmune diseases
The Chang Lab studies T cell biology and site-specific autoimmune diseases with a focus on chronic disease and flares.
Tissue resident memory T cells in arthritis
We previously showed that resident memory T cells accumulate in the synovium after inflammation, facilitating joint-specific memory in arthritis and mediating arthritis flares. We are investigating what drives synovial resident memory T cell development, how these cells interact with stromal cells in an inflamed environment, and what factors help maintain resident memory T cells in joint tissues. As resident memory T cells contribute to the chronicity of arthritis, we are developing novel approaches to target these memory T cells in the synovium.
Treatment refractory arthritis and joint-specific memory
We are investigating the cellular factors local to the synovial tissue that promotes refractory and relapsing disease. Our efforts are focused on patients with treatment refractory arthritis as well as juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients with recurrent arthritis after bone marrow transplantation.
Mediators of chronic autoimmune uveitis
Autoimmune uveitis is an inflammatory ocular disorder associated with vision-threatening complications and a chronic reliance on immunosuppressive therapies. We found that a significant portion of patients with uveitis have evidence of subclinical inflammation in their ocular fluid. We established a uveitis biorepository of ocular fluid samples, paired with tears and blood samples from patients with uveitis, as well as a repository of longitudinal blood samples from patients with uveitis at the time of flare and during remission. We are investigating biomarkers of subclinical ocular inflammation, predictors of uveitis disease activity, autoreactive T cells in the eye and mediators of uveitis persistence and flare.