Grant: Project Grant

Autoimmune diseases take many forms, however, there may be common underlying mechanisms that lead to an immune system attacking an individual's own cells and tissues. We have recently identified that newly generated cells of the immune system called recent thymic emigrants (RTE) have a heightened potential to cause severe autoimmune disease. Our studies are aimed at understanding what normally controls these dangerous RTE so that autoimmune disease does not occur in most individuals. These studies have the potential to identify the timing and location of defects in immune systems that cause autoimmune disease and uncover new approaches to the prevention of autoimmune disease.