Mogens Helweg Claesson

• Presentation
• CV
• Research outputs

Primary fields of research

During the last 15 years the laboratory has developed and characterized a new model for chronic colitis, the socalled T cell transfer model, which, in contrast to chemically-induced colitis models, is initiated by the adaptive immune system and its antigen specific interactions with the intestinal microbial flora. This disease model resembles the human inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and makes it possible to study a variety of biologicals targeting any component of the innate and adoptive system. More recently we have initiated studies dealing with interaction between the enteric nerve system, probiotics and the gut associated immune system. We have shown that neurotoxic doses of capsaicin blocks disease development, and that certain strains of probiotic bacteria reduce the inhibitory effect of T regulatory cells on colitogenic T cells.

Professor M.H.Claesson was coordinator within the EU Biomed 2 programme with a project dealing with characterization of the transfer colitis model, and later, our work has been supported by grants from FSS as well as a number of private foundations including the Lundbeck Foundation, the Aase og Ejnar Danielsens Foundation, Aage and Johanne Louis Hansens Foundation, The Dagmar Marshalls Foundation and “Købmand I Odense Johann og Hanne Weimann f. Seedorffs Legat”. Our research efforts has resulted in around 40 papers, 6 PhD theses and 2 Master theses.