Dr. Gregersen’s ongoing studies in the laboratory include international collaborative efforts to achieve a comprehensive description of the genetics of autoimmune diseases, with a particular focus on rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. At least 46 genetic regions have been identified for rheumatoid arthritis, but it is likely that many more remain to be discovered.
In addition, Dr. Gregersen is pursuing functional studies of a number of newly defined risk genes for autoimmunity, particularly genes that regulate the thresholds for activation of the immune system. Several of these genes for autoimmunity are potential targets of new drugs that may be able to modify activation thresholds, in order to either enhance or reduce aspects of the immune response. These studies include work on the following genes: