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Brief description/objective

The main hypothesis underlying the suggested research program is that autoimmune CD4+ T cells cross-reacting with bacteria in the intestinal microbiome drive not only the development of acute cardiac inflammation but maintain the perpetuation of inflammatory processes in cardiomyopathy which might lead to heart failure. The primary objective of the planned project is therefore to characterize in detail the association of cardiac antigen- and microbiota-reactive CD4+ T cell responses in patients with acute versus chronic cardiac inflammatory disease.