New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based intervent ....New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based interventions and vaccines that protect the gut and lung from infectious and inflammatory issues. The harnessing of effective immune responses to control such challenges, are of enormous fundamental and long-standing biological interest, and are amongst the most important areas of current scientific research.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100165
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,900.00
Summary
Engineering T cells to promote peripheral immunity. Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are key for immune protection against infections and cancer. This has led to much interest in understanding how these immune cells develop, although elucidation of molecules that regulate TRM are still scarce. This project aims to (i) identify genetic drivers of TRM in peripheral organs and (ii) modulate TRM generation utilising state-of-the-art genetic engineering techniques. Expected outcomes include gener ....Engineering T cells to promote peripheral immunity. Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are key for immune protection against infections and cancer. This has led to much interest in understanding how these immune cells develop, although elucidation of molecules that regulate TRM are still scarce. This project aims to (i) identify genetic drivers of TRM in peripheral organs and (ii) modulate TRM generation utilising state-of-the-art genetic engineering techniques. Expected outcomes include generating new knowledge that will contribute to the development of novel therapeutics against infectious disease and cancer, together with the benefit of promoting national and international collaboration with the ultimate goal of improving health.Read moreRead less
Understanding the life and death of Mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Cell death of naïve T cells in lymphoid organs is well-understood. However, T cells only gain their function upon activation, and how activated T cells regulate their life or death remains unclear. Mucosal-associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are abundant in non-lymphoid tissues as key local players in immunity, and share some features of activated conventional T cells. This project aims to define how MAIT cell survival and ....Understanding the life and death of Mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Cell death of naïve T cells in lymphoid organs is well-understood. However, T cells only gain their function upon activation, and how activated T cells regulate their life or death remains unclear. Mucosal-associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are abundant in non-lymphoid tissues as key local players in immunity, and share some features of activated conventional T cells. This project aims to define how MAIT cell survival and death are controlled. It combines methods we developed to track MAIT cells in vivo with expertise in cell death analysis. This project is expected to elucidate the complex mechanisms controlling MAIT cell survival/death and increase our fundamental understanding of cell death mechanisms of activated T cells.Read moreRead less