NewsWise highlighted Foundation-funded Scientific Development Awardee Ajay Tambralli, MD, and his research on the immunometabolism of neutrophils in lupusLupus is a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that... and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).
Neutrophils, crucial white blood cellsA type of blood cell that is made in the bone marrow and found in the blood and lymph tissue. White blood cells are part..., capture germs using sticky, spider web-like structures called neutrophil extracellular traps or NETs. Excessive NET formation is linked to exuberant inflammationInflammation is a normal part of the body’s defense to injury or infection, and, in this way, it is beneficial. But inflammation is damaging when... and complications like blood clots, strokes and miscarriages.
Dr. Tambralli and his team at the University of Michigan are investigating how modifying neutrophil metabolism—specifically glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway—can reduce NET production and enhance APS treatment. Their research suggests that targeting these metabolic pathways could lead to more effective and safer treatments compared to current blood thinners.