TLRs and pDCs in inflammation and disease

Speaker: Dr Franck Barrat

Dr Barrat will introduce key concepts related to the biology of TLRs, highlighting the importance of nucleic acid-sensing to initiate an effective immune response to pathogens and the redundancy in both the sensing by innate receptors but also in the effector phase and the subsequent production of type I IFNs. Dr Barrat will describe plasmacytoid dendric cells (pDCs) and discuss how the TLR/pDC axis, when dysregulated, can promote autoimmunity and fibrosis with a particular emphasis in cutaneous diseases such as CLE and scleroderma. Finally, Dr Barrat will discuss the relationship between the normal tissue repair process and fibrosis