Research
Immune cells are uniquely able to travel long distances in the body, infiltrate complex organs, search for signatures of diseases, and react at the right place and right time if these signatures are found. All these steps together form a healthy immunosurveillance system. We are investigating the fundamental mechanisms that enable immunosurveillance at a molecular, cellular, and organismal scale, how they go awry in diseases, and how they can be restored using therapies. The disease we primarily focus on is cancer.
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The specific areas of investigation are:
kOCH IMAGE AWARD
1. Regulation and manipulation of Immunological Synapse
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The Immunological synapses are specialized cell-cell contacts that allow the flow of biochemical and biophysical information in the immune system. Formation of a healthy immune synapse is one of the most critical steps towards a healthy immune response. Using mouse models of cancer in combination with in vitro tumor mimetic platforms, high-resolution microscopy, and immunological assays, we are investigating how pathological cues are transmitted across lymphocyte synapses in cancer.
Image: immunological synapses between drug nanoparticle loaded cytotoxic T cells and melanoma tumor cell line
2. Vaccine trafficking and display at immunologically relevant sites
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For a healthy adaptive immune response, the immunogen must traffic with the right kinetics, to the right cell, at an optimal concentration. The pathways of antigen trafficking are especially relevant for generating effective vaccine responses. Combining principles from cell biology and immunology, we are investigating the pathways that improve immunogen trafficking and display at immunologically relevant organs and cells.
Image: Lymph node immunogen trafficking and cellular display
3. Organ infiltration by immune cells
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The unique capacity of immune cells to infiltrate organs forms the foundation of immunosurveillance and is essential for our survival. We are investigating the cellular and molecular regulatory mechanisms that are compromised when there is too little (cancer) or too much (arthritis) immune infiltration and how we can mitigate these.
Image: immune cell infiltration in response to inflammation in lungs (left) and spleen follicle (right)
4. Cytoskeletal organization and dynamics in immune response
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The surveillance capacity of immune cells is fueled by their highly specialized cytoskeletal apparatus. We are investigating the mechanisms by which the actin cytoskeleton enables the fascinating processes of lymphocyte motility, migration, trafficking, and activation, and how it is dysregulated in cancer and arthritis.
