Peggy Crow’s laboratory studies immune mechanisms contributing to autoimmunity and systemic autoimmune disease, with a focus on systemic lupus erythematosus and with the goal of identifying relevant therapeutic targets.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease that particularly affects women in the childbearing years and is characterized by diverse clinical features. In addition to the fatigue, cognitive impairment and skin disease that impact many patients, severe organ involvement can include damage to kidneys, cardiovascular system and central nervous system. Generation of autoantibodies targeting DNA, RNA or DNA- or RNA-binding proteins and sustained production of type I interferon are core features of the immunopathogenesis of SLE, contributing to tissue inflammation and damage. We are particularly interested in unraveling the mechanisms that initiate autoimmunity and target the immune response to intracellular particles containing nucleic acids and associated proteins, such as the nucleosome and the spliceosome. We have demonstrated activation of the type I interferon pathway in patients with SLE and its association with autoantibodies targeting RNA binding proteins, pointing to the role of Toll-like receptor 7 as a sensor of RNA that induces interferon production. Our lab's research is based on detailed study of an informative longitudinal patient cohort, with clinical data and blood samples collected over time, allowing for dissection of the underlying biologic mechanisms that contribute to specific disease manifestations and disease flares. Current studies are characterizing subsets of patients based on genetic variants, autoantibody profiles and clinical features of disease, with interest in the determinants of lupus nephritis and chronic tissue damage. Identification of rational therapeutic targets is a goal of the lab, with our previous research having supported CD40 ligand and the type I interferon pathway as targets.
Figure: Significant mechanisms contributing to pathogenesis of SLE.
Biography
Dr. Crow received her medical degree from Cornell Medical College, internal medicine training at New York Presbyterian Hospital and rheumatology fellowship training at Hospital for Special Surgery. She was a post-doctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Henry Kunkel at Rockefeller University prior to joining the rheumatology faculty at Hospital for Special Surgery and Weill Cornell Medical College. In addition to her research activities, Dr. Crow served as Physician-in-Chief of Hospital for Special Surgery from 2010-2020 and as the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Lupus Research Alliance. She is currently chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the Arthritis Foundation and serves on the foundation's Board of Trustees.
Distinctions:
President, Henry Kunkel Society (2007-2009)
Margaret D. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award, Arthritis Foundation (2010)
Master, American College of Rheumatology (2012)
Presidential Gold Medal, American College of Rheumatology (2018)
Lee C. Howley, Sr. Prize in Arthritis Scientific Research (2022)
