Lab Staff
Dr. Buckner brings an interdisciplinary approach, genetics, immunology and clinical medicine to the understanding of the causes of autoimmune diseases. The Buckner laboratory is focused on identifying the underlying mechanisms by which self-tolerance is lost in human autoimmune disease. The Buckner group is currently examining the question of how autoreactive T and B cells escape regulation in these diseases and the closely related question of whether the development or function of regulatory T cells is impaired in autoimmunity. The lab is also determining the link between specific genetic variants associated with autoimmunity and their contribution to the pathologic mechanisms that result in disease. The diseases studied in the laboratory include type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and relapsing polychondritis. The research goal is to expand our understanding of each disease by identifying the common features that cause them. This work is aided by the Immune Mediated Disease Registry and Repository managed by the Translational Research Program at the Benaroya Research Institute. This resource provides samples from well characterized patients with autoimmunity and are available to scientists involved in the study of these diseases.
Publications
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