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Vitamin D status is a risk factor for autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.

The primary research interest of the group is to understand the targets of vitamin D in the immune system. The environment is important in the development of immune mediated diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD- ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s) and multiple sclerosis (MS). We hypothesize that vitamin D availability from either sunshine exposure or diet is an environmental factor that affects the development of the immune disease and as a consequence the development of diseases like IBD.  Experimental IBD and MS (in mice) develops more quickly in animals that are vitamin D deficient from birth. In addition vitamin D receptor knockout mice develop a fulminating form of experimental IBD.  The data suggests that a lack of vitamin D and or the inability to signal through the vitamin D receptor results in the aberrant development of the immune response. In particular, two populations of regulatory cells are missing in vitamin D deficient or vitamin D receptor knockout mice.  The data point to a requirement for vitamin D in the development of these two regulatory subsets. The implications are that improved vitamin D status early in life might affect the development of the immune response and affect immune mediated diseases like IBD and MS.