The Bottini laboratory studies the mechanisms of action of signaling molecules encoded by human autoimmune disease-predisposing genes and analyses signal transduction pathways in pathological specimens from patients. The laboratory specializes in the study of a family of signaling enzymes called protein tyrosine phosphatases.
The first focus of the laboratory is on the mechanism of action of two phosphatase genes (PTPN22 and PTPN2) that strongly predispose to rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and lupus. Our ultimate goal is to
enable personalized therapies for autoimmune disease patients carrying specific genetic factors.
The second focus of the laboratory is on biochemical signaling in local joint-resident cells in rheumatoid arthritis with the goal of
identifying targets for novel non-immunosuppressive therapies that would not increase the risk of infections.
The third focus is on biochemical signaling in cells that promote tissue scarring in systemic sclerosis and other fibrotic diseases with the goal of
identifying targets for novel anti-fibrotic therapies.