Paur, Nicole Graduate Student, Inflammation and Immunity Veterinary Microbiology Office Location: WCVM 2685 and 2614 Phone: 306-966-7213 or 306-966-7290

Profile

• MSc candidate
• Supervisor: Dr. John Gordon, Veterinary Microbiology
• Home community: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Academic Credentials

• BSc (Honours)

Research Interests

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body.  Neutrophils contribute to the pathogenesis of arthritis, and are recruited to the site of inflammation by chemokines.  CXCL8/IL-8 is a member of a family of chemokines (ELR-CXC chemokines) that activate and attract neutrophils through the CXCR1 and CXCR2 receptors.  Our lab developed a high affinity CXCR1/CXCR2 antagonist, called CXCL8(3-73)K11R/G31P (G31P). This antagonist has been shown to be highly effective in blocking ELR-CXC chemokine-driven neutrophilic inflammation. 

Our lab is now testing the effectiveness of G31P in reducing the severity of arthritis in experimental mice.