Receptor ligand interactions in immune responses to cancer and viruses

We study the interactions between pathogens and cells of the immune system to gain insight into functionally important features of the immune system, with the objective of applying this knowledge to studies of human disease. Specifically our research interests are focused on the innate immune response to viral infections, in particular the role of Natural Killer (NK) cells, and the characterization of primary
immunodeficiencies (PID) affecting innate immunity. These studies are based on collaborations established with clinical teams and involve the use of systems immunology approaches, including advanced flow cytometry and molecular genetics techniques, to analyse immune phenotype and function in these patients. These more descriptive studies are accompanied by cell biology and biochemistry experiments to achieve a mechanistic understanding of how any given patient genetic defect affects immune system function. Our studies have identified how mutations affect NK cell function directly, but also raise the exciting hypothesis that disruption of the normal crosstalk between immune cells can negatively affect the differentiation and function of the remaining cells of the immune system, and so contribute to the spectrum of pathology in these patients.