In Science, Dr. Kriegel and his co-authors demonstrated how normally beneficial bacteria can travel from the small intestines of mice and humans and trigger the body’s natural defenses against disease. The study evolved from Dr. Kriegel’s WHRY-funded pilot project as an Assistant Professor of Immunobiology and provides a new approach toward effectively treating autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus by targeting the problematic bacteria with antibiotics.
In addition, a study Dr. Kriegel authored with Dr. Sandra L. Wolin, Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology, ran in a recent issue of Science Translational Medicine, describing how a protein found in common bacteria can trigger an autoimmune response. The study, also stemming from Dr. Kriegel’s WHRY-funded work, helps advance the development of individualized treatments for lupus that could target specific disease-causing bacteria at the source of autoimmune reactions.