Adaptive Immunity

We aim at deciphering the mechanisms underlying the role of T and B lymphocytes in adaptive immune responses as well as to the interactions between the adaptive immune system and different tissues during disease pathogenesis to attempt novel therapeutic approaches. Intracellular signaling mechanisms regulating T cell development, differentiation, induction and maintenance of immunological memory are being studied using lineage-tracing and cell-based techniques and are expected to provide relevant information for the design of new and more effective vaccine strategies. Evolution of immunoglobulin genes and humoral immune responses in environmental stress conditions are being investigated using molecular and bioinformatics approaches. The behavior of T cells as regulators of adaptive immune responses and as effector cells is also being examined in models of bacterial/viral infection and in disease conditions such as autoimmunity, immunodeficiencies and cancer. We are also currently investigating the behavior of T cells as regulators of adaptive immune responses and as effector cells in models of bacterial/viral infection and in disease conditions such as autoimmunity, immunodeficiencies and cancer.