Research lines

• Lineage-specification of pMHC-NP-induced antigen-specific T-regulatory type 1 (TR1) cells

  This project seeks to define the mechanisms underlying the lineage origin and specification of the autoreactive TR1 cells arising in response to pMHC-NP therapy in mice.

• Phenotypic, transcriptional and epigenetic make up of pMHC-NP-induced human autoantigen-specific TR1 cells in humanized mouse models

  We seek to define the phenotypic, transcriptional and epigenetic make-up of human autoantigen-specific TR1 cells arising in humanized mice in response to pMHC-NP therapy, to identify biomarkers suitable for use in clinical trials.

• Advancing antigen-specific nanomedicines for the treatment of organ-specific and systemic autoimmune diseases

  This project involves the development of novel methodologies to identify candidate pMHC-based nanomedicines for a variety of chronic inflammatory disease processes, and the testing of the pharmacodynamic and therapeutic activities of these compounds in murine models of disease.

• Role of autophagy in autoantigen presentation during T-cell ontogeny and autoimmunity

  This line of research focuses on studying the role of autophagy in the presentation of type 1 diabetes-relevant autoantigens by thymic and peripheral professional antigen-presenting cells in the context of both tolerance and pathogenicity.

• Engineering of recombinant peptide-major histocompatibility complexes suitable for eliciting autoreactive T-regulatory type 1 cells in vivo

  This projects seeks to engineer novel recombinant pMHC structures suitable for human therapeutic application.