Unveiling how central tolerance impacts T cell responses to foreign targets. T cells develop in the thymus as a consequence of self-antigen recognition via their T cell receptor (TCR). During developm

Description

Unveiling how central tolerance impacts T cell responses to foreign targets. T cells develop in the thymus as a consequence of self-antigen recognition via their T cell receptor (TCR). During development, ~50% of T cells recognise self-antigen too strongly and are deleted via negative selection to prevent autoimmunity. This project aims to determine the impact of negative selection on responses to foreign antigens using mice deficient in negative selection and a range of sophisticated technologies to characterize and test antigen-specific TCRs that are normally deleted. Expected outcomes include a fundamental understanding of the balance between the competing demands of self-tolerance and protection from foreign threats. These knowledge advances will ultimately inform applications to optimize immune responses.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3204 - Immunology. Lead: Prof Nicole La Gruta