Inflammation is the most common type of response that the body mounts when facing an assault from the surrounding environment. The inflammatory response occurs when tissues are injured by bacteria, trauma, toxins, heat, or any other cause. In this regard, the gastrointestinal tract is unique as it is permanently exposed to the external environment, it is constantly stimulated by a myriad of antigens and harbors the endogenous enteric flora.

To establish and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship, the mucosal immune system must enforce tolerance toward the vast non-pathogenic microbiota, while simultaneously remaining reactive to potentially pathogenic microbes; the disruption of this delicate balance results in inflammation. When the immune system does not "turn" itself down, properly inflammation becomes chronic and that leads to a host of problems. Indeed, chronic inflammation culminates in devastating events, results in significant host pathology, and is associated with a number of human diseases including, in the gut, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, allergy and, ultimately, cancer.

A sharp rise in the incidence of these conditions has recently been observed in the western world, making them the subject of intense research.
We are exploring, by using molecular approaches, several innate immune pathways involved in the triggering and chronicization of inflammatory processes with the aim to shed light on pathogenetic mechanisms underlying these complex disorders as well as to find out novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of the diseases.