With the new award, the research team will tackle our poor understanding of the signalling pathways triggered by receptors found on T cells, including receptors that are now major targets for combination immunotherapy (for example, with pairs of blocking antibodies). It is unknown why there are so many of these receptors, and how their signalling differs. As there are so many, it’s currently difficult for scientists to decide which combinations of receptors are the best to target in this form of immunotherapy. Dr Santos and Prof Davis, along with their colleagues, have invented a new imaging-based approach to study these pathways, which will allow them to create the first atlas of signalling by T cells.
Speaking about the project, Dr Santos said:
We hope to understand T cells a lot better and create a new framework for making better-informed choices for developing new immunotherapies, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
Learn more about the Davis Group.
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