Laura Sly

BSc, PhD, MSc

Investigator, BC Children's Hospital

Macrophages are specialized cells of our immune system. They provide our first line of defence against invading micro-organisms starting the immune response and are called “killer” macrophages. When our body has finished killing off unwanted invaders, these macrophages change their function and help in cleaning up the injured area. These are called “healer” macrophages. During clean up, macrophages tidy up debris, promote wound healing and scar formation and shut off the immune response. In some inflammatory diseases, like inflammatory bowel disease, the immune response gets out of control. Macrophages are the largest producers of tumour necrosis factor alpha in the gut and an antibody directed against this macrophage product is an effective therapy for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The goal of my research is to understand how these macrophages make the switch from “killers” to “healers” with the hope of pushing macrophages to “healers” during inflammatory bowel disease