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Rheumatic diseases affect up to 10% of the U.S. population, causing severe morbidity. Identifying and targeting pathogenic cytokines has revolutionized treatment, but many syndromes are treatment-refractory due to an incomplete understanding of the factors driving pathology. Allergic diseases have long been thought to be clinically and immunologically distinct from rheumatic diseases, but recent work suggests substantial overlap. The Schwartz lab studies a cytokine called IL-9, which links allergic and rheumatic diseases through regulation of lymphocytes, eosinophils, and mucosal barrier function. Research in the Schwartz lab is focused on defining the regulation and biological functions of IL-9 in the context of autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions. We also try to expand the spectrum of rheumatic diseases by studying rare inborn errors of immunity that link allergic, autoimmune, and autoinflammatory pathologies. This includes the monogenic disease haploinsufficiency of A20 (HA20), an inborn error of ubiquitination that can cause severe autoinflammation, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, and clinical allergy.
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