Targeting TIRAP-Mediated Inflammatory Signalling: A Promising Therapeutic Strategy for Sepsis and Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Title: Targeting TIRAP-Mediated Inflammatory Signalling: A Promising Therapeutic Strategy for Sepsis and Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Speaker: Professor Mirza S Baig (Institute of Technology Indore)

Abstract: Macrophages are essential frontline immune cells that identify and eliminate pathogens while regulating inflammation an essential process for containing infections and initiating tissue repair. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in macrophage activation by recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and triggering inflammatory signalling pathways. Adaptor molecules, with their diverse structural domains, orchestrate the recruitment and transmission of inflammatory signals through complex cascades, facilitating communication between TLRs and downstream effectors. We investigated the crucial role of the Toll/Interleukin-1 Receptor (TIR) domain-containing adaptor protein (TIRAP) in inflammatory responses. TIRAP interacts with several key inflammatory proteins following its phosphorylation by tyrosine kinases BTK and PKCδ, thereby facilitating downstream signalling. Understanding TIRAP’s interactions helps define the nature and severity of inflammatory responses and may offer insights for therapeutic intervention.

Bio: Professor Mirza S Baig earned his PhD in Biochemistry from the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), India, in 2008. He pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois, Chicago and the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, from 2009-2015. Currently his laboratory focuses on macrophage signalling pathways in chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer.