Antony Rosen, MB ChB

Research

Our laboratory focuses on defining the mechanisms of the human autoimmune rheumatic diseases, including myositis, scleroderma, SLE, Sjogren's syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis. We investigate the human model of these diseases, and utilize samples and tissues from patients with well-defined clinical phenotypes followed longitudinally in the Disease-specific Centers for our work. We are currently pursuing studies in many areas, including understanding the relevance of autoantigen cleavage and modification on their immunogenicity, quantitation of antigen-specific immune responses in patients with a variety of diseases and the ability to monitor activity and predict outcomes. We have also taken a new approach to defining amplification-specific autoantibodies in rheumatic diseases, and will use these to identify important amplification pathways. We also have projects aimed at understanding the reasons underlying specific targeting of apparently ubiquitously expressed antigens in unique diseases.