Moshe Arditi, MD Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics Director, Infectious and Immunologic Disorders Research Center, Biomedical Sciences Executive Vice Chair, Research, Pediatrics
Email: moshe.arditi@cshs.org Phone: (310) 423-2593 Fax: (310) 423-8284

Academic Appointments

Awards and Activities

Research Focus

Innate Immunity and host-pathogen interactions, molecular pathogenesis of bacterial infections, role of innate and adaptive immunities in various infections and role of TLRs and NLRs. We investigate infection-induced acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as AllergicAsthma, and Atherosclerosis in various mouse models. We study the the role of Th17, IL-1 beta and role of DCs, Mast cells and Tregs in these disease models. We also investigate NLRP3 inflammasome activation mechanisms and the role of mitochondria. Another focus is Kawasaki Disease mouse model and the pathogenesis of the coronary arteritis and myocarditis seen during Kawasaki Disease vasculitis. Finally, we also investigate the role of chronic inflammation in cancer and role of vascular immune signaling in metastasis.

Research Contributions

Leader in role of Toll-Like receptors in atherosclerosis and vasculitis. Major contributions include the role of Chlamydia pneumonia-induced acceleration of atherosclerosis and sensitization to allergic asthma and role of TLRs and Dendritic cells in these disease models. NLRP3 inflammasome activation mechanism linked to oxidized mitochondrial DNA and apoptosis.

Current investigations include:

Innate Immune Mechanisms and TLRs in Mouse Models of Pneumonia, Atherosclerosis, Asthma and Coronary Arteritis in Kawasaki Disease. Role of Innate Immune System (Toll-Like Receptors, NODs), Dendritic cells and Tregs and IL-17 in Infection-induced acceleration of atherosclerosis, sensitization for allergic asthma and colitis in mouse models. Chronic inflammation and lung cancer and role of vascular EC in lung cancer metastasis.

Selected Publications

1. Shimada K, Crother TR, Karlin J, Dagvadorj J, Chiba N, Chen S, Ramanujan VK, Wolf AJ, Vergnes L, Ojcius DM, Rentsendorj A, Vargas M, Guerrero C, Wang Y, Fitzgerald KA, Underhill DM, Town T, Arditi M: Oxidized mitochondrial DNA activates the NLRP3 inflammasome during apoptosis. Immunity, 36(3): 401-14, 2012
2. Chen S, Lee Y, Crother TR, Fishbein M, Zhang W, Yilmaz A, Shimada K, Schulte DJ, Lehman TJ, Shah PK, Arditi M: Marked acceleration of atherosclerosis after Lactobacillus casei-induced coronary arteritis in a mouse model of Kawasaki disease. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., 32(8): e60-71, 2012
3. Lee Y, Schulte DJ, Shimada K, Chen S, Crother TR, Chiba N, Fishbein MC, Lehman TJ, Arditi M: Interleukin-1ß is crucial for the induction of coronary artery inflammation in a mouse model of Kawasaki disease. Circulation, 125(12): 1542-50, 2012
4. Crother TR, Schröder NW, Karlin J, Chen S, Shimada K, Slepenkin A, Alsabeh R, Peterson E, Arditi M: Chlamydia pneumoniae infection induced allergic airway sensitization is controlled by regulatory T-cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. PLoS ONE, 6(6): e20784, 2011
5. Shimada K, Chen S, Dempsey PW, Sorrentino R, Alsabeh R, Slepenkin AV, Peterson E, Doherty TM, Underhill D, Crother TR, Arditi M: The NOD/RIP2 pathway is essential for host defenses against Chlamydophila pneumoniae lung infection. PLoS Pathog., 5(4): e1000379, 2009
6. Naiki Y, Sorrentino R, Wong MH, Michelsen KS, Shimada K, Chen S, Yilmaz A, Slepenkin A, Schröder NW, Crother TR, Bulut Y, Doherty TM, Bradley M, Shaposhnik Z, Peterson EM, Tontonoz P, Shah PK, Arditi M: TLR/MyD88 and liver X receptor alpha signaling pathways reciprocally control Chlamydia pneumoniae-induced acceleration of atherosclerosis. J. Immunol., 181(10): 7176-85, 2008