Patrizia Fuschiotti, Ph.D.
Contact
Campus: Biomedical Science Tower South, 200 Lothrop St
Office: S709
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Ph: 412-648-8804
Fax: 412-383-8098
Education
- Laurea in Chimica e Tecnologia Farmaceutiche (Pharmaceutical Chemistry), University of Perugia, Italy.
- Dottorato di Ricerca (Ph.D.), University of Perugia, Italy.
Academic Affiliation
- Assistant Professor, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
About Research
Dr. Fuschiotti's research interests focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis by T cell and T cell-derived cytokines in inflammatory conditions. Particular emphasis is given to the roles played by cytokine IL-13 and its receptors (IL-13Ra1 and IL-13Ra2) in fibrosis, autoimmunity, and cancer. The context of this work has been in human diseases primarily affecting the skin, namely scleroderma (SSc), an autoimmune connective tissue disease whose main clinical feature is fibrosis, and cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). Dr. Fuschiotti has shown that IL-13 and its molecular pathways are involved in both diseases, acting as a major pro-fibrotic factor in SSc and as an autocrine factor for CTCL. In addition to understanding the underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis, she has also been developing strategies aimed at targeting IL-13 and its molecular pathways for therapeutic relief.
Selected Publications
Fuschiotti P, Larregina AT, Ho J, Feghali-Bostwick C, Medsger TA Jr. Interleukin-13-producing CD8+ T cells mediate dermal fibrosis in patients with systemic sclerosis. Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Jan;65(1):236-46. doi: 10.1002/art.37706. PubMed PMID: 23001877; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3535505.
Fuschiotti P. Role of IL-13 in systemic sclerosis. Cytokine. 2011 Dec;56(3):544-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2011.08.030. Epub 2011 Sep 14. Review. PubMed PMID: 21920770.
Fuschiotti P. CD8+ T cells in systemic sclerosis. Immunol Res. 2011 Aug;50(2-3):188-94. doi: 10.1007/s12026-011-8222-1. PubMed PMID: 21717073.
Medsger TA Jr, Ivanco DE, Kardava L, Morel PA, Lucas MR, Fuschiotti P. GATA-3 up-regulation in CD8+ T cells as a biomarker of immune dysfunction in systemic sclerosis, resulting in excessive interleukin-13 production. Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Jun;63(6):1738-47. doi: 10.1002/art.30489. PubMed PMID: 21638273.
Morel PA, Srinivas M, Turner MS, Fuschiotti P, Munshi R, Bahar I, Feili-Hariri M, Ahrens ET. Gene expression analysis of dendritic cells that prevent diabetes in NOD mice: analysis of chemokines and costimulatory molecules. J Leukoc Biol. 2011 Sep;90(3):539-50. doi: 10.1189/jlb.0311126. Epub 2011 May 31. PubMed PMID: 21628331; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3157898.
Jouvin-Marche E, Fuschiotti P, Marche PN. Dynamic aspects of TCRalpha gene recombination: qualitative and quantitative assessments of the TCRalpha chain repertoire in man and mouse. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;650:82-92. Review. PubMed PMID: 19731803.
Fuschiotti P, Medsger TA Jr, Morel PA. Effector CD8+ T cells in systemic sclerosis patients produce abnormally high levels of interleukin-13 associated with increased skin fibrosis. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Apr;60(4):1119-28. doi: 10.1002/art.24432. PubMed PMID: 19333920.
Fuschiotti P, Pasqual N, Hierle V, Borel E, London J, Marche PN, Jouvin-Marche E. Analysis of the TCR alpha-chain rearrangement profile in human T lymphocytes. Mol Immunol. 2007 Jul;44(13):3380-8. Epub 2007 Mar 27. PubMed PMID: 17391765.
Fuschiotti P, Fender P, Schoehn G, Conway JF. Development of the dodecahedral penton particle from adenovirus 3 for therapeutic application. J Gen Virol. 2006 Oct;87(Pt 10):2901-5. PubMed PMID: 16963748.
Fuschiotti P, Schoehn G, Fender P, Fabry CM, Hewat EA, Chroboczek J, Ruigrok RW, Conway JF. Structure of the dodecahedral penton particle from human adenovirus type 3. J Mol Biol. 2006 Feb 17;356(2):510-20. Epub 2005 Dec 9. PubMed PMID: 16375921.
Courses Taught
- MSIMM-2210, Comprehensive Immunology
Research Interests
- Autoimmunity; Tc1/Tc2 differentiation; IL-13/IL-13 receptors expression and function; mechanisms of fibrosis.