Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the industrialized world. While therapies to treat cancer have continued to improve one area that, in theory at least, shows great promise in the treatment of tumours is manipulating the immune system to effectively recognize and destroy cancerous lesions. Experiments in human and animal systems have clearly shown that the immune system has the potential to respond to tumour cells and trials of tumour vaccines are underway. It has recently become a ....Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the industrialized world. While therapies to treat cancer have continued to improve one area that, in theory at least, shows great promise in the treatment of tumours is manipulating the immune system to effectively recognize and destroy cancerous lesions. Experiments in human and animal systems have clearly shown that the immune system has the potential to respond to tumour cells and trials of tumour vaccines are underway. It has recently become apparent that the immune responses to tumours may be inhibited by classes of regulatory immune cells. Eliminating these cells results in a more vigorous and effective anti-tumour response. This project will seek to discover the mechanisms of action of theses regulatory immune cells in order to devise more effective anti-cancer vaccines and therapies.Read moreRead less
The Effect Of Follicular Helper T Cells (TFH) On AID Regulation And Selection Of High Affinity Germinal Centre B Cells.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$430,964.00
Summary
An integral component of an immune response to foreign pathogens is the production of antibodies by B cells. However, if antibodies react to self-antigens (human molecules rather than bacteria or viruses) they may also cause autoimmune diseases such as lupus. This research project is investigating the mechanisms that control antibody generation by B cells, and how these are dysregulated in autoimmune diseases, such as lupus.