Grant: Undergraduate: Summer Studentship Award - Institute Community Support

Allergies are on the rise in Canada for reasons not fully understood, with reactions ranging from mild to life threatening. Elucidating the mechanisms and dynamics of the immune responses contributing to the development of allergies is needed for the realization of effective therapies. B cells are white blood cells that are responsible for antibody production upon maturation, and are critical to both immune protection from extracellular pathogens and the development of allergies. Germinal centres are sites in lymph nodes where B cells mature and differentiate to antibody secreting plasma cells, a process that is controlled by a complex interplay of signals that lend themselves to computational investigation. The significance of these signals and how they interact in B cell differentiation remain poorly understood. The goal of this project is to develop computational models of processes governing B cell responses and maturation. Specifically, we will model B cell signalling networks that control how they differentiate, and construct a 3D simulation of B cell responses in germinal centres. Using these models, we will simulate conditions that promote B cell responses as seen in allergies. This will deepen our understanding of B cell responses in both individuals with allergies and those free of such affliction.