The goal of research in my lab is to understand whether chemicals and/or infections in our environment are responsible for the rise in chronic inflammatory diseases like heart and autoimmune diseases. My aim is to develop animal models of disease that resemble human disease as closely as possible and then to translate findings from the animal models to epidemiologic and human studies. We have developed a unique model of virus-induced autoimmune heart disease in mice that is remarkably similar to human disease and are conducting collaborative studies with epidemiologists and clinical researchers to gain a better understanding of disease pathogenesis. Because the immune response is very different between males and females, we are studying the effect of toxins and chemicals in male and female mice and humans. We are currently examining how microbes initiate autoimmune disease by examining the relationship of the innate immune response to coxsackievirus, complete Freund’s adjuvant and Pertussis toxin (used in autoimmune mouse models) to the progression of acute and chronic autoimmune disease. We are also examining the effect of key environmental agents on disease initiation and progression. Some examples of the environmental agents we are studying include cigarette smoke, aflatoxin and particulate matter (pollution).

immunotoxicology, cardiovascular disease, autoimmunity, inflammation, innate immunity, mast cells, macrophages, heart failure, sex differences, tolerance, allergy, smoking, toxins

Fairweather, D. and D. Cihakova. 2009. Alternatively activated macrophages in infection and autoimmunity. J. Autoimm. In press.

Cihakova, D., M. V. Talor, J. G. Barin, G. C. Baldeviano, D. Fairweather, N. R. Rose, and C. L. Burek. 2009. Sex differences in a murine model of Sjogren’s syndrome. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. Sept; 1173: 378-383.

Frisancho-Kiss, S., M. J. Coronado, J. A. Frisancho, V. M. Lau, N. R. Rose, S. L. Klein, and D. Fairweather. 2009. Gonadectomy of male BALB/c mice increases Tim-3+ alternatively activated M2 macrophages, Tim-3+ T cells, Th2 cells and Treg in the heart during acute coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis. Brain Behav. Immun. July; 23(5): 649-657.

Interviewed for the Wall Street Journal article “When the Body Turns on Itself: Latest Findings on the Epidemic Rise of Autoimmune Diseases” in the Women’s Health & Wellness section of the newspaper by Lisa Collier Cool, (12 May 2009) pp D5-D6

Dube, S. R., D. Fairweather, W. Pearson, V. J. Felitti, R. F. Anda, and J. B. Croft. 2009. Cumulative childhood stress and autoimmune diseases in adults. Psychosom. Med. / J. Biobehav. Med. Feb; 71(2): 243-250.

Fairweather, D., S. Frisancho-Kiss, and N. R. Rose. 2008. Sex differences in autoimmune disease from a pathologic perspective. Am. J. Pathol. Sept; 173(3): 600-609.

Interviewed for the Glamour Magazine article “The Scariest Health Threat You’ve Never Heard Of” by Donna Jackson Nakazawa (September 2008 issue) pp. 336-339, 353-355.

Interviewed for the book “The Autoimmune Epidemic: Bodies Gone Haywire in a World Out of Balance- and the Cutting-Edge Science that Promises Hope” by Donna Jackson Nakazawa (2008) Touchstone- Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, NY, pp. 160-169.

Cihakova, D., J. Barin, M. Afanasyeva, M. Kimura, D. Fairweather, M. Berg, M. V. Talor, G. C. Baldeviano, S. Frisancho-Kiss, K. Gabrielson, D. Bedja, A. N. J. McKenzie, and N. R. Rose. 2008. The protective role of interleukin-13 in experimental autoimmune myocarditis. Am. J. Pathol. May; 172(5): 1195-1208.

Fairweather, D. and S. Frisancho-Kiss. 2008. Mast cells and inflammatory heart disease: potential drug targets. Cardiovasc. Hematol. Disord. Drug Targets Mar; 8(1): 80-90.

Frisancho-Kiss, S., S. E. Davis, J. F. Nyland, J. A. Frisancho, D. Cihakova, N. R. Rose, and D. Fairweather. 2007. Cutting Edge: Cross-regulation by TLR4 and T cell Ig mucin-3 determines sex differences in inflammatory heart disease. J. Immunol. Jun 1; 178(11): 6710-6714.

Fairweather, D. 2007. Regulating inflammation in the heart. International J. Biomed. Science Mar; 3(1): 100-104.

Fairweather, D. 2007. Autoimmune disease: mechanisms. In: Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd: Chichester, UK http://www.els.net/ [DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020193].

Fairweather, D., and N. R. Rose. 2007. Immunopathogenesis of autoimmune disease. In R. Luebke, R. House, and I. Kimber (Eds.) “Immunotoxicology and Immunopharmacology”. 3rd Ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 423-436.

Fairweather, D., and N. R. Rose. 2007. Coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis in mice: a model of autoimmune disease for studying immunotoxicity. Methods Jan; 41(1): 118-122.

Frisancho-Kiss, S., J. F. Nyland, S. E. Davis, J. A. Frisancho, M. A. Barrett, N. R. Rose, and D. Fairweather. 2006. Sex differences in coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis: IL-12Rb1 signaling and IFN-g increase inflammation in males independent from STAT4. (Special issue: Sex, genes and steroids) Brain Res. Dec 18; 1126(1): 139-147.

Frisancho-Kiss, S., J. F. Nyland, S. E. Davis, M. A. Barrett, S. J. L. Gatewood, D. B. Njoku, D. Cihakova, E. K. Silbergeld, N. R. Rose, and D. Fairweather. 2006. Cutting Edge: T cell Ig mucin-3 reduces inflammatory heart disease by increasing CTLA-4 during innate immunity. J. Immunol. Jun 1; 176(11): 6411-6415.

Fairweather, D., S. Frisancho-Kiss, D. B. Njoku, J. F. Nyland, Z. Kaya, S. A. Yusung, S. E. Davis, J. A. Frisancho, M. A. Barrett, and N. R. Rose. 2006. Complement receptor 1 and 2 deficiency increases coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis and heart failure by increasing macrophages, IL-1b and immune complex deposition in the heart. J. Immunol. Mar; 176(6): 3516-3524.

Fairweather, D., and N. R. Rose. 2005. Inflammatory heart disease: a role for cytokines. Lupus Sept; 14(9): 646-651.

Njoku, D. B., M. V. Talor, D. Fairweather, S. Frisancho-Kiss, O. A. Odumade, and N. R. Rose. 2005. A novel model of drug-induced hepatitis with increased mast cells in the BALB/c mouse. Exp. Mol. Pathol. Apr; 78(2): 87-100.

Fairweather, D., S. Frisancho-Kiss, and N. R. Rose. 2005. Viruses as adjuvants for autoimmunity: evidence from coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis. Rev. Med. Virol. Jan-Feb; 15(1): 17-27.

Afanasyeva, M., D. Georgakopoulos, D. F. Belardi, D. Bedja, D. Fairweather, Y. Wang, Z. Kaya, K. L. Gabrielson, E. R. Rodriguez, P. Caturegli, D. A. Kass, and N. R. Rose. 2005. Impaired up-regulation of CD25 on CD4+ T cells in IFN-g knockout mice is associated with progression of myocarditis to heart failure. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Jan 4; 102(1): 180-185.

Fairweather, D., S. Frisancho-Kiss, S. A. Yusung, M. A. Barrett, S. E. Davis, R. A. Steele, S. J. L. Gatewood, and N. R. Rose. 2005. IL-12 protects against coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis by increasing IFN-g and macrophage and neutrophil populations in the heart. J. Immunol. Jan 1; 174(1): 261-269.

Fairweather, D., and N. R. Rose. 2004. Models of coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis: recent advances. Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models Dec; 1(4): 381-386.

Fairweather, D., S. Frisancho-Kiss, S. A. Yusung, M. A. Barrett, S. J. L. Gatewood, S. E. Davis, D. B. Njoku, and N. R. Rose. 2004. IFN-g protects against chronic viral myocarditis by reducing mast cell degranulation, fibrosis, and the profibrotic cytokines TGF-b1, IL-1b, and IL-4 in the heart. Am. J. Pathol. Dec; 165(6): 1883-1894.

O’Conner, S., D. Fairweather, B. D. Pearce, and S. Rasmussen. 2004. Infectious etiologies of chronic diseases: focus on women. Emerging Inf. Dis. Nov; 10(11): 2028-2029.

Fairweather, D., and N. R. Rose. 2004. Women and autoimmune diseases. Emerging Inf. Dis. Nov; 10(11): 2005-2011. (More)

Afanasyeva, M., D. Georgakopoulos, D. Fairweather, P. Caturegli, D. A. Kass, and N. R. Rose. 2004. A novel model of constrictive pericarditis associated with autoimmune heart disease in interferon-g knockout mice. Circulation Nov 2; 110(18): 2910-2917.

Cihakova, D., R. Sharma, D. Fairweather, M. Afanasyeva, and N. R. Rose. 2004. Animal models for autoimmune myocarditis and autoimmune thyroiditis. Methods Mol. Med. Sept; 102: 175-194

Rose, N. R., D. Fairweather, M. Afanasyeva, and Z. Kaya. 2004. The transition from benign to pathogenic autoimmunity: the myocarditis model. Autoimm. Rev. Aug; 3(8): 592.

Fairweather, D., S. Frisancho-Kiss, S. Gatewood, D. Njoku, R. Steele, M. Barrett, and N. R. Rose. 2004. Mast cells and innate cytokines are associated with susceptibility to autoimmune heart disease following coxsackievirus B3 infection. Autoimmunity Mar; 37(2): 131-145.

Fairweather, D., M. Afanasyeva, and N. R. Rose. 2004. Cellular immunity: A role for cytokines. In A. Doria and P. Pauletto (Eds.) “Handbook of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases: The Heart in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases”. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, pp. 3-17. (January)

Fairweather, D., S. Yusung, S. Frisancho(-Kiss), M. Barrett, S. Gatewood, R. Steele, and N. R. Rose. 2003. IL-12Rb1 and TLR4 increase IL-1b and IL-18-associated myocarditis and coxsackievirus replication. J. Immunol. May 1; 170(9): 4731-4737.

Lenzo, J. C., D. Fairweather, V. Cull, G. R. Shellam, and C. M. Lawson. 2002. Characterisation of murine cytomegalovirus myocarditis: cellular infiltration of the heart and virus persistence. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. Jun; 34(6): 629-640.

Fairweather, D., and N. R. Rose. 2002. Type I diabetes: virus infection or autoimmune disease? Nat. Immunol. Apr; 3(4): 338-340.

Lenzo, J. C., D. Fairweather, G. R. Shellam, and C. M. Lawson. 2001. Immunomodulation of murine cytomegalovirus-induced myocarditis in mice treated with lipopolysaccharide and tumor necrosis factor. Cell. Immunol. Oct 10; 213(1): 52-61.

Kaya, Z., M. Afanasyeva, Y. Wang, K. M. Dohmen, J. Schlichting, T. Tretter, D. Fairweather, V. M. Holers, and N. R. Rose. 2001. Contribution of the innate immune system to autoimmune myocarditis: a role for complement. Nat. Immunol. Aug; 2(8): 739-745.

Fairweather, D., Z. Kaya, G. R. Shellam, C. M. Lawson, and N. R. Rose. 2001. From infection to autoimmunity. J. Autoimm. May; 16(3): 175-186.

Fairweather, D., C. M. Lawson, A. J. Chapman, C. M. S. Brown, T. W. M. Booth, J. M. Papadimitriou, and. G. R. Shellam. 1998. Wild isolates of murine cytomegalovirus induce myocarditis and antibodies that cross-react with virus and cardiac myosin. Immunology Jun; 94(2): 263-270.

Keast, D., D. Arstein (Fairweather), W. Harper, R. W. Fry, and A. R. Morton. 1995. Depression of plasma glutamine concentration after exercise stress and its possible influence on the immune system. Med. J. Austr. 2 Jan; 162(1): 15-18.