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Explore the critical balance required for effective immune system functioning in this 26-minute webinar presented by Dr. Jacqueline Payton from Washington University School of Medicine. Learn how immune system imbalances can lead to overwhelming infections when activity is too low or excessive host damage when activity is too high, with particular focus on Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL), a cancer affecting skin-homing T-lymphocytes. Discover how advanced CTCL creates a dual problem of inflammatory tissue damage in affected skin while simultaneously causing defects in cell-mediated immunity that increase susceptibility to dangerous Staphylococcus aureus infections. Examine Dr. Payton's research on LAIR proteins, including the identification of elevated LAIR2 levels in advanced CTCL and their role in inflammatory responses across various infections including RSV, severe COVID-19, and pediatric malaria. Understand the experimental approach using Lair1 knockout mice to model LAIR2 overexpression and the resulting findings showing increased abscess formation, dermonecrosis, inflammatory cytokine production, neutrophil activity, and tissue remodeling in S. aureus skin infections. Gain insights into how CTCL skin lesions exhibit similar inflammatory patterns, suggesting that high LAIR2 levels compromise host defense mechanisms while simultaneously causing tissue damage, and explore the therapeutic implications of targeting LAIR proteins in cancer treatment.
