Grant: Operating Grant

Cells of the immune system must communicate with each other in order to initiate an immune response to pathogens. These seemingly chance encounters become possible within the context of highly organized organs called lymph nodes. In the context of lymph nodes, multiple molecular pathways orchestrate how immune cells are drawn together in order to initiate an exchange of signals between those cells that carry the pathogen into the lymph node (dendritic cells), and those cells that respond to the pathogen (lymphocytes). The makeup of these signals is what ultimately dictates whether an immune response will proceed or if it is aborted. Understanding such signals will inform vaccine design, provide strategies for eradicating cancers and give clues as to how we may quiet autoimmune responses.