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Holm Uhlig

Contact information


holm.uhlig@well.ox.ac.uk


directorpa@well.ox.ac.uk


Holm Uhlig Group


ORCID ID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6111-7355


Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford.


intestinal inflammation
The gastrointestinal immune system

Holm Uhlig

Professor of Paediatric Gastroenterology

  • Director Centre for Human Genetics

The gastrointestinal immune system has evolved to counteract the invasion of pathogens. To allow a strong inflammatory immune response during infection but avoid tissue damage there is a need for effective immune regulation. Defects in immune regulation lead to immunopathology such as inflammatory bowel disease or environmental enteropathy or celiac disease.

About one-fifth of all patients with inflammatory bowel disease present with initial symptoms during childhood and adolescents. In particular in the very young children patients, an underlying immunodeficiency may cause Iinflammatory bowel disease-like symptoms. The analysis of immune deviation in children with inflammatory bowel disease does contribute to the understanding of the complex puzzle of molecular mechanisms involved in IBD.