Exploring the Role of IL-6 in the Risk of Developing TB Disease

In this seminar, Dr. Gabriele Pollara delved into the study of IL-6 responses and their impact on human tuberculosis (TB) disease risk. Recognizing the limited understanding of how universal IL-6 responses influence TB disease, Gabriel and his team undertook a comprehensive investigation focusing on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in and near the IL-6 receptor (IL6R) gene. Utilizing a diverse array of genetic and epidemiological methodologies, their study aimed to determine whether altered IL-6 signaling was causally associated with the risk of developing TB disease. The team uncovered compelling evidence supporting their hypothesis through Mendelian randomization analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data, encompassing thousands of cases and controls across multiple ancestries.

VALIDATE Members can watch the recording on the VALIDATE Hub.

About the Speaker

Prof Gabriele Pollara is an Associate Professor in Infection at UCL, UK. His research primarily focuses on delineating the processes underlying pathological immune responses in TB disease and leprosy, as well as their associated paradoxical reactions. Using systems-level bioinformatic deconvolution of bulk- and single-cell transcriptional responses from the sites of challenge models and disease, alongside spatial transcriptomic assessments, population-level genetic epidemiology, and tractable in vitro models, his group aims to gain insights into the immunopathogenesis of these diseases.

Gabriele's overarching ambitions are to define rational therapeutic targets to attenuate tissue pathology and to explore the use of adjunctive immunomodulatory host-directed therapies in experimental medicine studies that ultimately facilitate the transition to early-phase clinical studies.