Background
There is a growing awareness that the initiation of the immune response by inflammatory cells, like dendritic cells (DC), takes place with the context of the local mucosal surface. All signals derived from the environment or from local tissue, are integrated, ultimately defining the immune response. Within the ENT department we study this process in relation to the pathology of allergy and chronic rhinosinusitis.

Allergy
We have shown that at birth the local immune system is immature and that this is characterized by local production of a mediator. The level of this regulatory cytokine in epithelial cells and endothelial cells is directly correlated with the level of symptoms in allergic individuals. We have shown that nasal epithelium cells in allergic individuals is in an constant activated state and that secreted mediators may affect function and dynamics of tissue resident dendritic cells.

Chronic rhinosinusitis
Chronic rhinosinusitis is a common inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa that strongly impacts on the life of patients. The pathogenesis of the disease is unknown, but is associated with diverse co-morbidities, including asthma. Using diverse approaches we study underlying pathological mechanisms focussing on the role of micro-organisms and the role of epithelium-fibroblast interactions